My Name Isn't 'Hanyou'
by Jaiasa
Summary: Forced to marry Sesshoumaru for open trade between Egypt and Western Japan, the Lady must endure taunts, jeers and leers from youkai and human alike, hatred stemming from a thousand-year-old disgust of the mixture between the two species.
1. Hanyou

Chapter One: The Hanyou

"... The heir to the Southern Kemetian lands will be arriving tomorrow, my lord." the tiny little toad with the bulbous yellow eyes and swampy smell blubbered at the feet of his master. The Lord, looking down uninterestingly at the youkai and sniffed lightly, capturing the approaching scent of the Princess.

The two youkai were standing in the lord's personal training area. White sand from wall to wall, the grounds proved to be an excellent place for practicing for battles on rough terrain. The large shoji doors off to the side opened into the baths and the grand cherry-wood doors separated the are from the courtyard. Possessing no ceiling or ight fixtures, thelord was able to choose to practice in all degrees of light.

"Hanyou..." he whispered. His long white hair creating a curtain over his face. The young Lord's flashing golden eyes rested upon the figure.

"Why had not he Queen informed me that her daughter was hanyou?!" The Lord, draped in his beautiful white kimono and ghastly armor kicked his servent, causing the toad to fly across the room ad slm into the shoji door.

"L-Lord Sesshoumaru! I didn't know... I swear!" the toad blubbered his apologies again and again. The toad knew that when his lord was angry, he would get tossed, thrown, cut, poisoned, or clubbed over is head with his very own staff of heads.

The Lord's eyes flashed dangerously, his pale skin growing slightly pinker, "What could I do to appease you, my Lord?" Sesshoumaru turned his back to his servant and looked out of the window.

"Bring her here. I will talk with her and then she will be returning home."

"But m'lord, you have already promised..." Jaken jumped back in surprise when the lord turd and swiped his claws at him. Tearing only his clothes, Sesshoumaru left Jaken shivering in fear.

"Do as I say."

"It's hot..." Jaia complained for the seventh time that hour.

She had been cooped up inside the same carriage for four months with the same bare slaves, the same stupid hair wig, and the same, unbearable heat. Wearing a sheer white dress with a long, thick, gold necklace and belt that barely shielded her private areas, she rubbed her wet bronze skin and turned her brown, almond shaped eyes to the woman across from her. Her Arabian nanny, Shahira, kept a close eye on her, driving both her and the slaves mad. The elder woman reclined on her couch lazily and threw her slippers to the ground. Wearing a linen tunic and pants, the fifty-year old woman eyed her warily.

"Faster." she command all of the nude slaves. The girls, wearing the same wigs they had on yesterday fanned faster, stirring the foul-smelling hot air in the cabin.

"Fan all of us, girls...it's as hot for you as it is for us." the women were delighted when they heard that. Each turned slightly so that everyone could catch a breeze from their fine palm leaves.

"Someone is approaching...ugh, and they smell horrible." Jaia scrunched up her nose in disgust.

Pulling her braids back into a ponytail she poked her head outside the curtain and looked around.

Lush green forestry surrounded heir caravan. Beautiful, tall trees towered over them, casting wondrous shadows on her face, vines creeping along their bark, and overgrown sweet-smelling grass assaulted her senses. The best sighting of all was the river that ran alongside the path, easily accessed, but with a dangerously stong current, she had ordered her slaves to only pour water over their bodies, lather, and rinse off once again. They groaned at the thought of not dipping in the cool water, but she had expressed that humans could never swim in such a strong current.

"Come back Kyky-Sherit." Shahira called, "Something might take a bite at that pretty little head of yours."

And pretty it was. As Jaia sat back, she gave her nanny an excellent view of her oval face. Eyebows perfectly arched, they complemented her slightly slanted eyes. Her nose, although easily determined 'Kemetian' with it's wide, but pointy structure, enabled her to smell much better than normal inuyoukai, and she had been complimented on it countless times.

Although her bronze complexion was praised in her home lands, she feared that the young Lord might not find her beautiful, as here a woman's paleness equated with her gentleness and short and thin figures were accepted better than her shapely build. Not to mention the fact that her hair fell in gentle black ringlets instead of falling straight down her back.

"Stop fidgeting, Kyky-Sherit," Jaia was running her fingers through her abnormally curly hair and rubbing the soles of her feet together.

"Fidgeting helps me to deal with my nerves. And would you _please_ stop calling me 'little monkey'?" Jaia waved her slaves away.

"Princesses don't fidget and this Lord is all about etiquette. You climb like a monkey and when you stop acting like a crazed monkey, I will cease to call you a monkey."

Although her nanny was considered a slave, she was very bold, and always have been. Although her mother never enjoyed her company, having her around was always a delight. Her quick sarcasm and easy criticism always comforted Jaia, even as she was about to marry someone she hardly knew, someone who was known to be apathetic, threatening to other royals, and abusive towards his slaves.

"Remind me again why mama chose him?"

"The humans have agreed to intermarry with the Asians, that's how you've got those beautiful eyes of yours. Although it isn't so thick in you, your grandmother on your youkai father's side having been Japanese, you can't see much of a difference between you and pureblooded Egyptians." she started, eliciting a yawn from Jaia.

"Anyways, the Egyptian youkais wanted to make peace with the Asians...open up a trading partnership. And who better to trade with other than Sesshoumaru, Lord of the Western lands? He has the richest vallies and the safest lands for our princess to live." she continued. Jaia rolled her eyes and reclined farther in her seat.

"You should be ecstatic that your mother could secure such a bargain with the Lord. Our Princess for open trade between our two countries, which would surely flourish under his rule."

"So what..." Jaia yawned again and closed her eyes.

"SO WHAT?!" Shahira bellowed, "You ungrateful child, the youkai princess of Egypt and the Western Lord of Japan are about to marry, forming a powerful alliance and you say 'so what'? Do you know how many women in both Kemet and Japan would die to be in your position right now?"

"I'd rather not discuss positions at the moment, thank you." Understanding the hidden meaning of her words, Shahira blanched.

"You naughty little girl, I'd hope your future husband never hears you speaking in such a manner. If your weren't about to meet him so soon, I'd box your ears."

"You haven't boxed my ears since I was twelve, Shahira, I'd doubt you'd do it again."

"You little mongrel..." Shahira started.

"While you were boring me with your rant, you've failed to notice that there is a rather ugly toad peeking through our window." Jaia interrupted, lifted her head and nodding in the direction of the tiny toad-youkai with wide, pus colored, bulbous eyes.

"This Jaken is sorry to disturb Her Majesty and her Ladies," the toad began in an annoying little voice.

"Go on," Jaia stroked her chin, watching the toad as though it were prey. Gulping, the creature continued.

"Lord Sesshoumaru wishes to speak with Her Majesty immediately."

"He sent you all the way out here for that? When I am already on my way?" Jaia furrowed her eyebrows.

"He wishes to find you in his presence as soon as possible."

"My caravan will reach his palace in a day, I must bathe before I would have him see me, and I flat out don't appreciate being rushed." her eyes flashed dangerously. "Now, what's a tasty little treat like you doing all the way out here...alone?" she smirked devilishly, barring her short, slender fangs.

"My Lord has sent his personal assistant to retrieve Her Majesty and bring Her back to the palace."

"Her majesty has spoken. She isn't ready." Shahira spoke up.

"You would do well to remain quiet and not speak for royalty, _slave_." Jaken spat, and the next moment, he was swimming in the stream.

"Did you really have to do that, Kyky-Sherit?!" Shahira, who had seen Jaia punch the little toad with enough force to throw him, but not kill him, had her eyes wide.

"No one insults anyone under my care, _especially_ my friends, Shahira." Jaia sat back down and looked out the window again, "I guess I'd better get ready now and tell the drivers to use their demon speed to get there quickly or my royal husband will become a royal pain in the ass." all of the women in the carriage gasped at her harsh language. No matter how often she does it, it still seems to surprise them.

"Stop the carriage!" Jaia yelled. The buggy immediately came to a screeching halt, nearly throwing Shahira and the girls from their seats. Laughing, Jaia immediately jumped outside and dove into the lake.

"Come on, girls. I'll let you bathe this time since the water's a bit shallow." she giggled girlishly and ducked her head under the water again. The nude slaves smiled broadly at each other and ran to jump inside the lake, too, splashing their Princess in the process.

"Come on, Shahira, make a group of ten and join us!" Jaia beckoned her friend.

"Oh, calm yourself, these old legs aren't as fast as they used to be." the old woman wobbled over and slowly dipped herself into the stream, savoring the feeling of the cool water running down her back.

"You girls should wash your wigs, too- they're beginning to smell." Jaia pinched her nose for emphasis. All of her human slaves wore braided wigs made of their very own human hair. Although youkais never had to worry about lice, her human servants were practically plagued by it. So women shaved their heads and donned wigs made out of their hair to cut back on the parasites, so if he wig ever got lice, they could just make another out of animal hair or the like with ease. Jaia, who only wore her braided wig for show, pulled it off and dipped it lightly in the water. Her hair was actually longer than the wig, falling to the middle of her back in silky waves and curls.

"Since I can't wear this anymore, I'm giving it to you, Shahira." all the other girls gave jealous moans of protest.

"Oh... that's too glamorous for an old woman like me. Give it to one of the other girls, I have enough." The old woman continued to lather her body with the soft oatmeal soap.

"I didn't ask if you needed it or not, Shahira, I said I was giving it to you. Besides, I want you to look beautiful for when we meet my husband." she said all too sweetly, sticking out her tongue childishly at the end.

"Why do _I_ need to look beautiful for _your_ husband, Kyky-Sherit?"

"Because I said so," Shahira opened her mouth to protest, "and I don't want to hear any argument out of you. Hand me the lotus-flower soap in that basket, Serakhet." Jaia asked a slave, who, in turn, threw a pink bar to her.

"That is appalling behavior, I expect more from you, Serakhet. Throwing anything at the Princess..."

"She wasn't throwing _at_ me she was throwing _to_ me. And put a cork in it, will you? I want to have some fun before I'm a locked-down, child bearing, sweet lil' ole housewife who doesn't have a mind of her own and lives to please her husband." finally, Shahira quieted down, and Jaia finished her bath in peace.

"Is that it, Shahira?"Jaia asked, looking up at the massive walls surrounding a large stone castle within.

"I believe it is, Princess." both gazed up in wonder, mouths nearly hanging open at the sight before them.

Unlike the hilly deserts that fenced her home palace, this compound was surrounded by lush green forestry, plentiful, flowing rivers, and fields upon fields of flowers. The castle walls encompassing the palace towered at a height of at least ten feet, the gates open and seemingly under-guarded. Although Jaia could smell the sweat of the soldiers, they remained hidden from even her keen eyesight.

The palace itself was divided into four wings: north, south, east, and west. The west being the largest, Jaia imagined that all diplomatic events took place there; dinners, balls, meetings, and perhaps the wing included his private offices. The north, south, and east wings were much smaller, and much less grand than the west. Each holding its own purpose, the state of use was easily discerned by the smells and sight of the buildings. Encompassed by beautiful gardens with fountains, wild rose bushes and native fruit-bearing trees, Jaia could sense that she would find herself at home in the shadows of large pear trees or maybe by the fountains where the trickling of water would put her fast asleep.

"I'm going to live here?" Jaia asked, incredulous.

"Only if he likes you well enough." Shahira crossed her arms and reclined in her seat.

"M-my Lord, p-please, spare this lowly Jaken eep!" Jaken was currently being thrown back and forth across the room by Sesshoumaru's personal servants, Hideo and Ryudo.

"P-please, My Lord, she threw me into the river and..."

SPLAT!

Jaken landed unceremoniously on the ground, his body making a sound similar to that of the yolk inside of an egg as it gets flung into a pan. Hideo winced as he picked him up and kicked him to Ryudo again just as a servant burst through the door and bowed politely.

"My Lord, Lady Jaia and her caravan have arrived. Should I send them in?" Lord Sesshoumaru nodded.

"How long do you think he's going to keep us waiting?" Jaia sighed yet again.

"He is the Lord of this house, he will take as long as he likes." Shahira spat as she smacked her hands away from her sheer dress, "And remember to be polite, Jaia. You don't want to displease your Lord on the first day of your meeting, do you?"

"Oh, so _now _you call me by my name." Jaia whined.

"Special occasion, sprite, don't get used to it." she whispered from the corner of her mouth as servants began to file out of the main entrance, each bearing a basket full of gifts. Neither Jaia nor Shahira missed the glances of disgust or shock as they sighted their new mistress. Blushing a deep maroon, Jaia fought hard to keep her eyes trained on the dark void between the doors. Finally the ugly little frog that was thrown into the river earlier came bounding out, gasping for air.

"I present Her Majesty, Lady Jaia, Princess of Egypt, to His Highness, Lord Sesshoumaru, Taiyoukai of the Western Lands." he said a little too fast for an effectively dramatic entrance.

Nervousness finally forming knots in her stomach, she softly wrung her hands together behind her back as she waited for this new lord to appear. When the edges of his white kimono finally came in sight, her heart began to pound ten times faster as doubts began to seize her mind. What if he was ugly? What if he thought _she_ was ugly? What if they hated each other? Oh my...

Jaia's thoughts suddenly froze as the Taiyoukai stepped out onto the front steps of his estate. With beautiful, thick silver hair that fell languidly down his back, pale skin, and a lean muscular build, the Lord of the state was definitely not lacking in anything. With a soft face and high cheekbones the only word to describe him was beautiful. Her Lord was absolutely beautiful. The only thing that stopped her from practically drooling all over her sheer, pear green sheer dress was the coldness in his gorgeous golden eyes.

"Her Majesty will join me in my offices." and then he turned and left. Furrowing her eyebrows at his abruptness and cold disposition, Jaia turned to Shahira.

"Was that a bad thing?" Jaia asked her attendants.

"I don't know, My Lady..." Serakhet, finally clothed in the same sheer dressing, but with thicker cloth and minus the golden jewelry, shook her head.

Author's Notes

Okay, this is the end of the first chapter. For those who don't know which is the majority of people in the world, Kemet is the ancient name for Egypt, which is where Jaia is from. At first I was going to have Jaia be a neko youkai, but then I decided that it would just be a little too ridiculous a thought to have Sesshoumaru even _consider_ to marry a cat. So, I changed her into a hanyou. Sesshoumaru, who blatantly hates humans and considers hanyous abominations, would definitely show some reluctance while trying to wriggle his way out of a promise he has made and a promise that pride and honor would have him keep.

Secondly, Jaia is actually pronounced Jay-yah. Jaya is it's equivalent and in Sanskrit (think Hindi) it translates to Victory or Unattainable, it also just so happens to be another name for the Hindu goddess Durga. (Very recently someone corrected my mistake that Durga was the wife to Shiva, but I was utterly WRONG! Lol...at least I admit it, so there!)

My third point- the servants were looking at Jaia and her attendants funny because of their state of undress. In ancient Egypt, the wealthy women wore very sheer, very see-through gowns with long, thick necklaces that covered their private areas. Of course this would be seen as scandalous and misunderstood in Feudal Japan.

Lastly, Kyky-Sherit means little monkey.

Well, I hope everyone that reads this will have enough time to give me some feedback on the story. All criticisms are welcome, as they will be responded to.

Ja ne,

Jaiasa


	2. Proposition

Chapter Two: Proposition

"My Lord, have you found a defect in the Princess." Shahira began to plead with the Lord as he gracefully walked through the main entrance. And yet again, Jaia found major differences between her home in Egypt and this place.

Here, the walls were plain and simple, a sort of cream color with very little decor. There were very few cherry wood tables and chairs lining the plain cream colored walls. The floors were made of a black stone so dark it seemed to absorb the light given off the beautiful golden torches that were perfectly spaced apart. The Lord continued, ignoring her First Attendant, and thrust open the doors to a large room.

The room, as plain as the rest of his home, was simple and tidy. A cherry wood desk with a grand, high backed chair sat in the middle, two much more comfortable looking armchairs on the other side. There were a few interesting tools and papers littering his desk, complete with an ink and calligraphy pen set on the side. The only thing that set this room apart from the others was an overly large bouquet of multicolored flowers.

"Sit down." he commanded, taking the uncomfortable seat opposite her. Despite the cool, calm expression on his face, Jaia could not help but to stare.

"See to it that these ladies are shown to their rooms and attended to, Jaken." The Lord spoke again, his voice deep, but flat.

"Yes, My Lord." Jaken bowed lowly and then escorted the bare women out of the room.

"Keiko, bring us tea. The rest of you are relieved for the day." Soon, everyone filed out silently, leaving only the two of them there to stare at each other until the pretty slave with short black hair came in with a tea set. She then poured a cu for the both of them and stepped out.

"Staring is considered rude even in your home lands." he finally spoke again.

"Sorry, My Lord, your scent is very..." she started.

"We are not here to discuss my scent, Princess, but our bargain. I marry you in exchange for open trade with your empire. We are nothing more to each other, Princess." Jaia furrowed her eyebrows. Sure, everyone warned her that he would be cold, but no one said that he would be an offensive jerk! _Oh, two can play at this game._

"I am here, Lord Sesshoumaru, to be your wife. If that is all you expect to come from this agreement between our two lands, then I would hope that you do not expect children to come from this marriage, nor am I bound to remain locked away in your compound for the rest of your life."

"Now we are getting somewhere." The lord leaned in, "So long as you do not expect love to come from this relationship and remain faithful, you are free to do as you please."

"You are to remain faithful as well, then, my Lord." Jaia said, words turning to ice and eyes burning with hatred.

"Agreed. Now, if you will, I have businees to attend to."

"You agreed to that?!" Shahira was all but exploading in anger. Not only did the bastard force her into such a cold and distant relationship, but he forced her attendants to wear plain brown tunics and pants. The room her maids resided within was just as plain and simple as the rest of the house. There was a large wall where there were several futons piled on top of each other in a cubbyhole-like structure. The rest of her servants were out at the moment, doing the Lord's bidding.

"This is an outrage. The queen would be furious."

"The queen also knew that this youkai was underhanded, yet she abstained from taking proper precautions when choosing my husband. But I cannot change my mother's promise, and I'm sorry that he's making you wear clothes. He's my husband and there is no way out of this." Jaia pleaded with her.

"Look at this place. It is unfit for a beautiful girl like yourself. You need jewels to surround you, hundreds of red silk pillows! Why didn't you tell me? I would have had us packed up and ready to leave before you could say 'Senmut'!"

"Please leave my father out of this. He's the reason I'm in this predicament, now." Jaia threw herself down onto the futon, and, upon finding it comfortable, closed her eyes.

"What would Senmut have to do with this, Jaia?" Shahira sat down next to her, rubbing her back.

"Look at me, Shahira...I'll never be right. Hated by youkais, feared by humans...I'm just this...thing that never should have existed. If he wasn't a demon, he would be able to marry mother."

"Pharoah Hathshepsut? Your mother would never consent to that. Besides, There is absolutely nothing wrong with being hanyou." Shahira patted he back and stood. Rubbing her feet against the tatami mat, she strectched and yawned.

"This Lord has a 'stick in his hindquarters' as you often like to say. You've never let people get the best of you, Jaia. Why should this Lord be so different?"

"He hasn't done anything to me yet, and though he's cold and distant...I don't care. Besides, he isn't asking me to bear for him and I'd rather not lie with anyone I don't know or don't love. So, if you ask me, this is a good deal for me as well" Jaia turned her back to Shahira and hugged the lilac comforter.

"Dear Child, must we always go through this? It is your duty as Princess to produce heirs. He may be awful, but you have to learn to do this." Jaia jumped up from the futon and crossed her arms.

"I will not! We had a deal and it's staying that way. I won't bother him and he won't bother me. It's going to be that way and we won't change it- besides, we were already married and..."

"Wait... how were the two of you married when you've never met?"

"It was a sort of thing where someone stands in for the other person," Jaia shrugged, "I only called him my future husband because I hadn't met him yet."

"Jaia... you should have told me."

"You should have known. You've been my attendant for what...17 years and you didn't know?"

"No! I wasn't invited to the ceremony, remember... humans aren't allowed in youkai halls. Your mother shut us out for a day and we never asked you about it."

"Well that was _your_ mistake for not asking, wasn't it Shahira?!" Jaia huffed and then stomped away.

"Kyky-Sherit, get back here!"

"Everything's always my fault, isn't it." Jaia kicked at a chair in the corridor, " 'You should have told me'" she mocked in a whiney voice, "Isn't it your _job_ to know, Nana?" she grumbled in Egyptian.

"Not my fault the guy's a walking, talking stone. If he can last my lifetime without getting any, that's on him." she kicked at something again.

"Ouch!" a muffled voice cried. Jaia peered down between her feet to find a little girl with large brown eyes crying and rocking, holding her head in her hands.

"I'm so sorry, little one... come here; let me see your head." guiltily, Jaia bent down to examine the top of the human's head. Catching a whif of her scent, she found that she, like her attendants, had a very tolerable smell. In fact, this girl's smell was wonderful...delicious even.

"Why'd you kick Rin?" the little girl cried. Jaia smoothed down her pigtails and shushed her crying.

"Who's Rin?" Jaia asked, taking her into her arms and rocking her a bit to calm her down.

"Rin's Rin." the girl replied in a sweet, little voice. Catching on, Jaia smiled and nodded.

"Of course you are. But where are your mother and father?" Jaia asked, looking about to see if anyone was around.

"I haven't seen them for a long time. Sesshoumaru-sama says that I won't be able to _ever_ again." the little girl seemed to sober up upon the mentionin of the cold taiyoukai. Jaia furrowed her eyebrows at the familiarity she used when addressing the Lord.

"Do you want to pick flowers with Rin?" the girl asked, smile broad and eyes bright.

"Of course, I would love to. My name is Jaia by the way." Jaia smiled back, feeling at ease with this small, sweet girl.

"Okay...Jaia-sa...but why are you naked?" Rin asked, cocking her head to he questioningly.

"I'm not naked, sweet heart." she replied.

"But I can see everything!" she exclaimed, "Jaken-sama would be upset!"

"Really, why?" Jaia asked, suddenly feeling uncomfortable as she realized that no one here dressed as she and her servants.

"Because it's in a... inapwo-...hmm..." the girl became frustrated.

"Inappropriate?" she suggested.

"Yes, that's it!" Rin's face lit up, "Inappwopiate!"

Smiling slightly at her mispronounciation, she slightly covered her breasts with her hands. Looking around for a place to hide, she almost did not feel the tug on her belt.

"Rin can get you a k–ki-kimono, yes! A Kimono!" she said, pulling Jaia down the hall.

"Wait a moment...Rin-chan!!" Jaia giggled as the little girl pulled her this way and that, turning down a series of hallways.

"Rin! Where are you going!" Jaia absently heard the ugly little toad from before ask. Finally, Rin stopped. Looking down upon her keeper she stuck out her tongue.

"Rin is taking Jaia-san to get a k-kimono." she stumbled on the word once again.

"Then why are you leading her _away_ from her rooms, you foolish girl!"

"Rin didn't know she could find them. Rin thought she might be cold." Rin replied.

"And you didn't think to ask anyone you stupid ningen child," the toad was very rude, and he was quickly getting on Jaia's bad side.

"Excuse me...who are you?" Jaia finally interrupted.

"I am Jaken, personal servant of Lord Sesshoumaru." he announced, chest puffed out.

"I am quite certain that Lord Sesshoumaru would be displeased to find that his personal servant had offended his wife on her first day in the palace." The toad's eyes rew big at her words.

"Please, no! You don't understand..." he started.

"Actually, I do, thank you. And You had better show proper respect to this Lady and show Her to Her room in silence." Jaia spat, speaking in third person as most royals.

"P-please...this way," the toad stuttered.

Leading her to the west wing, the toad opened up grand cherry-wood double doors to reveal a parlor. With three doors leading to different areas, this room was outfitted with a desk, tea table, and several blue silk couches with very finely embroidered lilies. The floor was made of a type of smooth slate that made clicking noises as she walked by and the walls were an eggshell white with very light, delicate watercolors of cranes and lilac lilies. The small tables by the armrest of the couches were capped by beautifully decorated oil lamps. And then it hit her.

The beauty of the decor in this compound was found in its simplicity whereas in Egypt, silk, precious jewels and metals, and the like was where they found elegance. At that moment she began to appreciate the calm, subtle colors of the walls and the light-paper thin shoji doors in the east wing. In her palace, her eyes were pushed and pulled every which way with the complimentary colors of the inlaid jewels and stones in her bedchambers, but here, her eyes could remain on one entity forever, and never stray.

"Beautiful...." she whispered.

"Lord Sesshoumaru," Jaia winced as the toad started, hating the way he said the master of the house's name, "had personally seen to the decorating of your personal chambers." It did not take a genius to see that the toad hated her presence in the house. Perhaps he saw her as a distraction.

Jaia stepped inside and crossed to the other side of the room. Choosing the door on the left, Jaia found tat it extended to a porch that lead to one of the magnificent gardens. Beyond that, there seemed to be another house of some sort. But instead of investigating, she decided she would ask someone about it later.

Walking to the door on the left, she found it locked. She looked back at the ugly little demon for an explanation, and when none was forthcoming, she decided to leave the matter alone and take to the middle door.

Exquisite.

That was the only word she could use to describe the royal bedchamber. The walls, a beautiful golden color, reminded her much of the frescoes on the walls of palace, an entire scene of a garden in very light, barely discernable colors, Jaia had to stand back to really see objects. The windows were decorated by sheer golden curtains, the fabric greatly resembling the silk dress she wore at the present.

Torches lining the room, she knew that the futon on the floor, shielded from her eyes by drawn blue curtains spilling over from the canopy above, that there was more than enough light at night, but not as much as there would be at home. Lifting back the light, sheer cerulean sheets, she found her futon on the ground, a pale lilac in color, with a thick lily-embroidered comforter. There were also the pretty silk pillows scattered around that Shahira had missed. Smiling broadly she turned to the annoying creature behind her.

"Tell your Lord that his wife loves it." Her smile withered when she found the Taiyoukai standing no more than three feet away from her, eyes cold and expression still. She gasped and covered her mouth with her hand.

"I didn't hear you come in My Lord, how long have you been here?" she asked in awe.

"I sent Rin and Jaken away after you stepped in here." he replied, crossing her room and opening one of the armoires.

"You will find your clothes in here. I expect you to be presentable by the time dinner is announced." he finally glanced down her form and then looked away.

"Do you not feel shame, exposing yourself for the world to see." Confused, Jaia looked down at herself.

"I don't understand. This is my best dress." And she had worn it especially for this occasion.

"It is hardly appropriate for anything other than bed play." he then turned and began to walk out.

"Wait! But how do you wear these dresses?" Jaia pulled out one of the beautiful silk dresses and held it up for him to see.

"Kimono?" he showed slight confusion, and by his smell, she could tell that he was annoyed.

"I will send a Lady in to help you." he replied and then walked away.

After searching through the many kimonos and a torturous three-hour run down on how to wear a kimono, Jaia was finally ready for dinner. Wearing a blue silk kimono with embroidered light pink sakura flowers and a yellow obi, she waited patiently for the servant Aeiko to finish with her hair and jewelry.

Giving up on trying to tie her hair up in a traditional Japanese hairstyle, the servant simply opted to pin it back in a bun with r long locks slipping from the bulb. She then placed a lovely golden tiara with beautiful inlaid diamonds with matching ear flowers that she picked up when she traveled through China.

"Ah, you look gorgeous, My Lady," Aeiko complimented.

"I do? Well, I mean, thank you, Aeiko, I couldn't have done it without your help." She smiled, and surprised, the servant returned it.

"If there is anything else..."

"Actually, there is. Have you seen that sweet little ningen girl with the two ponytails around here?" Jaia asked. The little girl had been on her mind since she began to get ready for dinner, and she had not been presented an opportunity to ask about her until now.

"A little ningen... oh! You mean Rin!" the servant exclaimed.

"Yes, her!" Jaia's face lit up. Rin seemed to be much better company than the old woman who complained all the time.

"Well, she has already eaten and is probably in bed by now." she replied.

"Well...then would you please request that she be here when she wakes up in th morning. She promised she would take me to the gardens, and this Lady would see to it that she kept her promise."

"Of course, My Lady. Please, follow me. I believe dinner is served." the servant lead her into outer room.

Sakura-surrounded candles lit the entire dining room, oil lamps low. There was a dark purple runner along the table where scattered bits of fruit and blossoms settled. There were at least five silver platters of food, most of which she could not name. But the one thing that caught her eyes was the fact that the table was only set for one.

"Why is the table only set for one?" she turned to her maid-servant.

"Lord Sesshoumaru is very busy this night and would be unable to dine with his wife." she replied.

"I suffered for three hours trying to learn how to wear this thing for him, and you're telling me he isn't joining me!" she huffed and then spun on her heels.

Thrusting open the doors, she resolved to screech his ears off. Storming through the halls, she sniffed here and there for stronger traces of his scent, and when she found it, she narrowed her eyes and stomped through the corridor. He was in his offices.

Throwing open the doors to his outer office, the toad, Jaken, she thought it's name was, started to yell at her. When the toad had the nerve to threaten her with his disgusting staff of heads, she threw him into a wall and continued inside.

"I smelled you coming," he said calmly, sitting behind his desk shuffling papers.

"Then you also smell my sincere displeasure, My _Lord_," she spat. Ignoring her, he continued to look through his papers.

"I would have called it anger," he said lightly.

"Are you making joke?" she asked in disbelief, "Lord Sesshoumaru, I would have thought it to be a priority to have dinner with your wife on her first night within your compound."

"This Sesshoumaru has provided for his mate and nothing else should be expected."

"Nothing else should be expected? Lord Sesshoumaru I am not interested in having a cold, distant relationship between myself and my husband despite the fact that we have already agreed that..." she started.

"You will be _quiet_, wench," when he looked up, his eyes were bleeding red.

"That doesn't scare me," she continued through grit teeth. In a blink of an eye he was upon her, breathing down her neck. Okay, now that scared her.

"Leave, now." he commanded. Taking a deep breath, she stood her ground.

"I will not. I won't have you treating me like another bauble in your court. I didn't marry in Egypt for that reason and I have not come to here to be treated in the exact same manner. I hope you can understand that, _Lord Sesshoumaru_," he looked as though he were about to rip her apart with his fangs when a little girl walked in, distracting them from each other.

"Rin-chan!" Jaia exclaimed. The little girl's face lit up in recognition.

"Jaia-nee-san was trying to get Sesshoumaru-sama to eat with her, too?" she asked, looking back and forth between the adults. Jaia, still having her wits about her, nodded her head lightly.

"He won't come, he's busy. Why don't you eat with Rin?" the little girl smiled. And who could say no to that angelic little face?

After eating her fill of asagohan and a very delicious dish called 'oden', ignoring the darkness, Rin lead Jaia into one of the beautiful gardens. Greatly organized, but vastly unattended, the garden's wildness made it fit perfectly with its surroundings. After watching the small child pick hundreds of little sakura blossoms and dumping them unceremoniously in her lap, she decided it was time to bring the ningen girl inside.

"Do all hanyous eat food like Rin?" the little girl asked.

"It depends," Jaia said, careful not to reveal the horrors of demon dining.

"On what?"

Taking a deep breath, Jaia waited for the guards to open the set of double doors and lead her to her rooms, "Well, we hanyous go through certain phases. It is determined by the cycle of the moon."

"How?" curious as ever, Rin was not going to give up on the subject, so Jaia took in another deep breath and continued.

"Well, while we are in hanyou form, during the waning of the moon, we desire the human palette, but when the moon begins to wax, it is common for the hanyou to have a more demonic taste."

"I don't understand..." Jaia swallowed. Perhaps she should warn the girl in case she happens upon mean-spirited servants in the compound who wish for a small ningen for dinner.

"Well, living, breathing things seem to satisfy their hunger."

"So does Jaia-nee-san eat live food, too?" Rin swallowed.

"Yes, but only wild animals. The thought of eating humans makes me sick, so you don't have to worry about me." Jaia smiled down at the nervous girl, relieving her tension immediately.

"Why don't you eat humans like the rest of them, Jaia-nee-san?" she asked.

"Because my mother was human."

"Where is she?"

"Far away, Rin-chan, very far away from here." Jaia replied, a sudden nostalgia overwhelming her.

"My mama is gone, too." the little girl said sadly. Sniffing lightly, Jaia found that her entire scent was drenched in the emotion.

"You'll see her again someday, don't worry." Jaia put a comforting arm around her shoulder.

"Sesshoumaru-sama says Rin'll _never _see mama again."

"Then Sesshoumaru-sama doesn't believe in the afterlife." Jaia said, walking into her parlor.

"The after life?" Jaia stepped into her personal chambers and had the servants light the oil lamps and told them to leave.

"What about Rin, ma'am?" one of the asked, bowing politely as she spoke.

"She will be staying the night with me, here. Please bring her bedclothes and a tub of hot water so we can wash her off. After looking at her oddly because of the request, she exited.

"What is the after-life?" Rin asked, not seeming tired all.

"Perhaps I should wait until tomorrow to tell you." Jaia suggested.

"No! Rin wants to hear!"

Sighing softly for the third time that evening, Jaia gave in. That sweet, angelic face of hers could make anyone cave in, and if Sesshoumaru met her, Jaia had no doubt she would melt his heart as well.

"Very well, then, I'll tell you after our bath." Jaia said.

After bathing with the young girl, and braiding her wet hair back into a short braid, Jaia helped her into the yukata, receiving help to get into her own, she tucked Rin into her futon and blew out every oil lamp except one.

"You promised..." the girl whined.

"Alright," Jaia slipped underneath the covers and pulled her close, "you win."

"Rin is good at winning." Jaia smiled softly.

"The after-life is a place we go to when we leave this world."

"Is it nice?"

"Oh, it's wonderful..."

"What's there?" Rin asked.

"Well, everyone who has ever gone is there, and everyone is happy. Whatever possessions you are buried with in this world follow you into the next. There is this one _large_ garden where everyone eats. The trees always bear fruit, food is plentiful and..."

"Will there be flowers?"

"Scores of them. And they'll all be for you, Rin-chan." Jaia softly ruffled her hair.

"What will be waiting for Jaia-nee-san?" Rin question caused Jaia to frown.

"Everything that I have in this world, and nothing that I lack."

"I don't understand."

"Oh, you'll understand when you're older. Now, let's go to sleep, little one, so we can find more flowers to pick tomorrow morning."

"Where is she?" Sesshoumaru's eyes were bleeding red, "I smell her in the compound, but I haven't seen her since this afternoon."

"She's with your wife, Lord Sesshoumaru," Jaken mumbled, afraid of the repercussions.

"Why is she with _her_?" he growled.

"The princess was out picking flowers with her, earlier. Aeiko reported it, my Lord." the toad groveled.

"What would that hanyou want with a ningen girl, Jaken?" the Lord asked dangerously.

"I-I-I..." Jaken stuttered.

"If one hair was harmed on that girl head, both you and the mistress of the household will meet the sharp edge of Toukijin." he said before storming away, but of course, in a graceful manner.

"Up, hanyou," Sesshoumaru barked, bringing Jaia out of her much needed rest.

"Lord Sesshoumaru?" she guessed, her voice slightly groggy.

"Why is that girl in on your futon?" he asked, voice calm, but insides burning with anger.

"Sh! Will you keep it down, she's sleeping." Jaia got up and walked with him outside into her parlor, the brightness of the room causing her to squint.

"Why is the girl in your bed?" he repeated his question calmly.

"Who-Rin? Oh, she was out picking flowers with me in the garden late tonight and I didn't trust her with any of the youkai servants, so I let her sleep here with me."

Totally unprepared for that answer, Sesshoumaru took a step back, "Why would you even consider letting a human into your bed, hanyou?"

"Firstly, my name is Jaia. Use it. Secondly, humans do not disgust all youkai-folk if you would remember the cases of both our fathers." Jaia huffed.

"You will be silent, wench!"

"Oh?" Jaia raised an eyebrow, "And here I thought you wanted me to answer your silly question. If there's nothing more you want, I am going to bed, and despite this interruption, am going to get a good night's rest. I promised Rin I would go out with her again tomorrow." Jaia turned and began to walk away.

"STOP!" he commanded. Sighing, Jaia turned around, shoulders hunched and one eye open.

"What is it now, my Lord?" she smiled all too sweetly.

"What do you want with a ningen child?"

"I'm not going to eat your human servant, Sesshoumaru, quite frankly I was hoping to become some sort of okaa-san to her. But if that's a problem..." Shocked again, Sesshoumaru said nothing. Retaining his mask of indifference, his youki receded and he turned his back to her.

"You will address Lord Sesshoumaru with proper respect, hanyou!" the toad piped in outrage.

"And you will learn to be silent, toad. You may be full-blooded but I could easily kill you. The only thing stopping me is the fact that I can see you are the Lord's favorite lapdog, if you're worthy enough to be called one."

"You dare..." Jaken started.

"SILENCE!" Sesshoumaru growled in warning. Jaken gulped and began to bow again and again in hopes to appease his master.

"You may return to your bed, Jaia," he said, testing her name out, "and I give you permission to see to Rin when she is not occupied with her studies." Rolling her eyes at the fact that her _husband _deemed it necessary to give her permission to see the girl, smiled and turned away, ready to head back to bed.

She wanted to become Rin's mother? Of course she had to have been joking, but- what if she was telling the truth? Sesshoumaru did not smell dishonesty and the scent of fear that comes with it, instead, he sensed annoyance and something else...

Afer two weeks of Rin waking her up early in the morning to go for scenic walks around the compound before breakfast, Jaia was learning just how challenging it was to be separated from the girl. That morning she had awoken to find that Rin had to study. In an attempt to entertain herself, she practiced her art with the daggers before Rin showed up, ink markings all over her hands and face, and a smile as bright as she remembered it always to be.

After a few hours of swimming in a koi pond, the two of them settled into one of the compound's lush gardens, telling each other stories from their pasts. Each one more ridiculous than the next, Jaia gave her servants the day off so she would not have to hear Shahira's scolding words about behavior unfitting for a Lady. Soon, Jaia was watching Rin play dangerously close to a yellow snake, throwing flowers at it every now and then. Upon remembering tat the girl was human, Jaia's protective nature kicked in.

"Don't play near the snake, Rin-chan." she said, waiting until Rin moved away before her youki calmed. After a few minutes, Jaia was finally tied of the unbearable eat, and the absence of her servants' fanning.

"Come, Rin, we must get you washed up for lunch." she said, sensing that mealtime was near.

"Okay, Rin is coming." Rin said, bringing a handful of flowers with her.

"Where are you going?" Sesshoumaru walked into the corridor the moment he smelled Rin.

"Oh we were just going to wash up before lunch. Would you care to join us?" Not having been able to dine with her husband yet, Jaia was going very frustrated from his lack of interest in her. Despite the fact that it was her wish at the beginning of their relationship. Looking upon Jaia with disinterest, he spoke to Rin.

"You are to come with me."

"Oh, come now, my Lord, surely she could have lunch first." Jaia laughed lightly at his sternness.

"No, she will dine with me." he turned his cold gaze to her. Fearing that he had an appetite for one small human girl, Jaia stepped in front of her.

"You will not touch her, Lord Sesshoumaru, without going through me first."

"If you have forgotten, _Jaia_, this Sesshoumaru happens to be the Lord of the Western Lands, and I would suggest you stay out of this."

"I will not!" Jaia shouted, stepping in front of the girl.

Sesshoumaru was at a loss for words. This woman-child, this girl before him would dare defy is will! The determination she possessed, the lack of fear in her scent, everything radiating from her was extraordinary. She stepped in front of his ward, his daughter, willing to protect her with her very own life, unknowing of the relationship between himself and the ningen girl. Her back erect, her nose held high in the air, she showed no intentions of leaving the girl in his care. Hanyous must all possess the same idiocy and stubbornness witnessed in his foolish brother.

"You should never make promises you cannot keep, _Princess_." he inwardly smirked, keeping his voice devoid of emotions and his face absent of any expression, but inside he was laughing. The smell of the Egyptian mignonette flower combined with the anger building up inside her enticed him. He would show this girl once and for all who is Lord of this house.

"I suppose you believe that you could protect your humans from me. By all means, show me little hanyou." he taunted, "Teach me a lesson...the Egyptian way."

"I fight only when necessary. It is not my way to attack first." she said as she noticed that his eyes have failed to bleed red.

"Foolish..." he smirked as he lunged at her.

Grabbing Rin by the wrist and spinning her around to the side, she ducked and dodged his first attack, pulling out two short, thin swords from inside her obi. Flicking her wrist, she threw the sheaths down to the ground and lowered herself into a fighting position.

"You may be my husband, but I will _not_ allow you to treat me or my family as second-class citizens." she spat, and then beckoned him with her swords.

_At least there is her candor to like, although she is lacking in intelligence._ Sesshoumaru thought as he sped towards her and sliced at her stomach. She easily blocked the move and pushed his sword away from herself and his daughter. Intrigued by the fluidity and confidence behind the move, he continued, planning on enjoying a good fight for the first time in a long while.

"Hyaa!" She attempted to still him with a blow to the chest, but without using her demon strength she was unable to throw him.

"Foolish wench!" he sliced at her side again, only for her to block the move by crossing the two short swords off to the side once again.

"Rin, take a step back!" she commanded. Not knowing whether or not the little girl complied, Jaia ducked another swing and bent backwards. Pushing herself up from the ground to complete the flip, she kicked at the Lord, narrowly missing his nose.

_Agile _and_ flexible_, Sesshoumaru silently mused as he held back on his fighting, not wanting to bruise her and wanting to watch her move at the same time.

"Watch my feet and move back with me, Rin!" she said, and Sesshoumaru took at as his cue to unleash a chain of attacks on her, pushing her back, farther and farther, quicker and quicker, only to see what she would do when she found that Rin could not keep up. When they were outside in the open area, and stepping down the singular step onto the training grounds, Jaia back-flipped, picked Rin up and, with her youkai strength, tossed her as high as possible into the air.

Taking advantage of the shock and outrage he exhibited in response to the move, She cut him across the cheek and blocked his counter. Kicking him in the stomach, he flew a few feet away, only to land gracefully. Reaching her hands up, Jaia caught the giggling girl and lowered her to the ground again.

"That was fun. Rin wants to do it again!" te little girl squealed.

Using his energy whip, he cracked it at her hands, sending searing heat into the swords, prompting her to throw them, "So you think you've got some great moves eh?"

"Lotus Flower!!" lilac energy collected in her hands as Jaia sidestepped countless attacks.

"BLOOM!" She finally threw two discs of energy at him. Inwardly smiling at her attempt at an attack, he swept them away with a crackle of his whip. Finally growing bored of this, he allowed his weapon to dissolve and opted to pin her down instead.

Using his demon speed, he knocked into her and threw her onto the ground. Using the opportunity to hold her down, he pinned her legs with his knees and held her arms above her head and growled menacingly. Unmoved, she began to struggle against him. Digging his nails into her wrists, he elicited a scream from her.

"You are weak." she spat.

"Then why are you the one pinned down?" he asked, tightening his grip.

"I wasn't giving my all." Jaia twisted her bottom half and kneed him in the groin. Taking the opportunity to attack, she head-butted him and threw him off her.

"But you, Observant One, already knew that, didn't you?" she stood and lowered herself into the fighting position once again. Sesshoumaru licked his bleeding lip and allowed a smirk to escape- this was going to be _fun_...

After hours of fighting, Jaia was beginning to tire, at an alarming rate. Feeling her energy leaving her as each moment passed by, she wondered how long she could keep the Lord occupied as the girl, shockingly, went to an adjacent field to pick flowers! As the sun began to sink beyond the horizon, Jaia gripped her chest in pain, and crumpled to her knees, leaving herself open to another attack. Surprisingly, the Lord did not take it, instead, he gracefully walked up to her and roughly picked her up.

"Hanyous are considerably weak. While your skills are commendable, your form lacks refinement."

"My Lady!" Shahira stood at the entrance to the north wing. Running down to help her mistress, she caught her when the Lord released his hold on her. Right before him, her eyes were changing from their usual dark brown to a more auburn, and instead of the beautiful waves, her hair relaxed and fell straight down her back.

"What are you doing! Of all nights, you choose this one!" Shahira berated, tears running from her eyes.

_The night of the new moon...silly girl should have checked her charts, _Sesshoumaru thought, looking towards the night sky, void of anything but the bright stars as the maid pulling her into her arms, crying hysterically.

"Please don't die..." Sesshoumaru fought the urge to laugh out loud. Never in all his years had he ever imagined that he would witness a scene like this; an old human crying over a hanyou, who, in the morning, would fully heal from her wounds, barely feeling the after effects of the battle.

"She will not die, woman." he said, stepping past her, "Follow me and bring her with you."

"Lie her on her back." the lord commanded. Promptly, Shahira lowered her and turned her over. Sesshoumaru bent over the woman-child and examined her wrists.

The smell of her blood permeated the room, driving his demon blood to boil. The human blood running through her veins was weak, the life leaking from her very slowly. Leave it to a hanyou to wound themselves on the night of their transformation.

"Leave us," he commanded his servants. Forgetting her place, the old slave remained, hovering over her mistress as though she had already wandered to the next world.

"When I gave the command, no exceptions were given," he personally dismissed her. Turning her pleading gaze to him, her bottom lip began to tremble. Seeing as how he was unmovable on the situation, she sadly made her way out of the door, head hung low and shoulders hunched.

Finding comfort in being alone with the girl, he closed his eyes in thought. There were three ways he could handle this situation, two of which he was sure she would not agree to. Having seen his father treat his half-brother 's mother before, he knew that the mark of a mate would enable to heal her faster. But upon considering the fact that he neither wanted to be bonded to this hanyou woman for the rest of his life nor did he believe that this woman-child would be pleased, he threw the option from his mind.

The second choice he had was to just let her die: he would be free of her annoying stares, soft voice, and quick temper. That decision was immediately snuffed out when he considered the reaction of the strong Pharaoh Hathshepsut that not only had the human army under her wing, but the power to sway the Egyptian Taiyoukai lover, the father of his hanyou wife. The choice would be the onset of an intercontinental war, Egypt having the upper hand with its lists of allies. Which left one last choice.

He could always heal her by using his own demon blood. Surely it would leave the two bonded for a short time, and the young princess would be uncomfortable for a couple of days, but she would find the time to get over it. Solidifying his decision, he picked up one of her wrists and was immediately tempted to lick it off. Knowing that it would lead to the stirring of his youki, he used the bowl of clean water to rinse and dress her wounds. After he finished, he lied down beside her and would have sighed if it were in his character to do so.

It was going to be hell for the next couple of weeks.


	3. Blood

Chapter Three: Blood

When Jaia awoke the next day, she was more than sore. Her arms felt as if they were on fire and her legs just would not obey the command to move. When she turn her neck sideways, she found that the uncomfortable position she had been in all night gave her a slight crick and her chest was slightly in pain. They only comfort she did receive upon awakening was the warmth of the sun on her left side, the entity eliciting a content smile from the hanyou girl. Her smile quickly faded when she realized it was a heavenly body that radiated warmth, but not the one she wanted.

"What are you doing in my bed!" she screeched. Sesshoumaru, who was already awake by the time she began to stir expected her outburst.

"Because of your recklessness last night, I healed your wounds." he said calmly, trying his best to ignore her outburst.

"By sleeping in my bed? The only way to have healed me was to bond us somehow." her temper was hardly ebbing.

"It will only last a few days." he commented nonchalantly.

"A few days?" she was dumbstruck.

"How else was I to heal you? Licking your wounds was no option." Jaia bolted upright at the thought of him licking _any_ part of her. What shocked her the most was the thought of Sesshoumaru even _considering_ being bonded to a hanyou, let alone _her_.

"Lord Sesshoumaru..." Jaia started.

"If you do not wish to provoke the stirring of my youki, I would suggest you stay with me throughout the day until the bond has dissolved." he interrupted.

"When will that be?" Jaia asked, not liking the situation at all.

"When it is over, we will know. There is no point dwelling on it now." he said, walking away from her.

"And here I was hoping to pass time by counting the minutes." she mumbled under her breath, knowing that he could hear her all too well.

Following him down the corridor, she finally remembered something, "What did you do with my Rin?" she asked, her possessive nature having kicked in a long time ago.

"_Your_ Rin?" he stopped and slightly turned his face to see her in the corner of his eye.

"Yes, _my Rin_."

"If you were not so foolish as to jump into a battle with me, you would have known that the ningen is _my_ ward." he continued to walk, pleased when he saw the shock on her face.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked, "I wouldn't have..."

"Would you have listened, _hanyou_?"

There it was. He threw that word around like it was the Great Wall of China, a certainty that she would be kept at bay, a defense mechanism that he used to keep others feeling inferior to him.

"Funny, this _hanyou_ had you on the defense when she was, yet again, being so _foolish_."

When the two arrived at his offices, the couple was awarded odd stares from all around the rooms. Several men, who were staring in a much different way, gave Jaia the chills. Scooting closer to the man who has quickly become her nemesis, she continued to walk, stopping only when he did, and only turning when he would. All in all, she seemed like quite the lost puppy, curiously gazing at every unfamiliar face and shyly taking a step back whenever she was acknowledged.

"What are you doing?" Jaia had strayed from his arm for a moment to examine a sweet-smelling bouquet of flowers, it ultimately reminded her of Rin, and suddenly she feel sick for the girl.

"Come," Jaia was snapped out of her nostalgic sentiments when she heard Sesshoumaru call for her from across the room. She had begun to notice many things about him in the little time that she had been bonded. From how his hips shifted when he walked, to how he proudly held one hand on the hilt of Toukijin, ready for battle, or how his eyes swept back and forth across the rooms and corridors, ever alert he was, all the while maintaining grace and dignity. And now, the sound of his voice was...

"You would do well to stop staring." he warned, before turning his guarded eyes away from her. Sighing, Jaia followed behind him, the same lost look in the pup's eyes.

Leading her into his offices, he noted that he was already growing weary of her presence. He needed not worry about the teenaged girl obeying his every command, she did that quite well on her own. With every stare and leer she received from men, Sesshoumaru fought back the urge to growl.

"What are you doing?" he asked, watching her observe a bouquet of flowers Rin had arranged for him. By her smell he could tell she was longing for something.

"Come," he instructed, walking into his offices, preparing himself for a long day of work.

"Sit over there," he instructed, nodding toward one of the couches. There she would be close enough to keep his youki under control and far enough so as not to distract him. Hesitantly, she did as she was told, blatantly staring at him. Obviously, the bond was affecting her much more than he had expected.

"Why don't you occupy your time with embroidery." he said, taking a stack of reports from a servant.

The youkai had fire-red hair, dark blue eyes, and long, sharp fangs. While his eyes were very guarded, his smell indicated that he was particularly pleased for some reason or other. He wore a stately set of armor, much like the other guards, but what separated him from the others was a golden band on his arm.

"Would you have my maid-servant Shahira bring a set of mancala for me?" she asked him.

"Miss?" he clearly did not understand what mancala was. Jaia bit her lip and waited for idea to come to her.

"Could I borrow a brush, Sesshoumaru?" she asked. Growling in displeasure at her lack of formality, he glanced pointedly at a small, generally unused brush. Dipping the brush in the inkwell, she developed a message for Shahira in hieroglyphics.

"She'll understand," Jaia assured. The young man continued to look at her curiously and then he finally turned to leave.

"Why was he staring at me like that?" she waited few minutes to make sure he was out of earshot.

"Do not ask me silly questions while I am working." he lightly growled, knowing _exactly_ why he was looking at her like that.

After a couple of minutes, Shahira had finally arrived, glaring at Sesshoumaru with the utmost vehemence while holding a short, thick wooden board with six grooves in twelve rows, and one large groove on either end. Jingling at her hip was a leather bag full of large lapis lazuli pieces.

"I haven't played in so long, so if you'd forgive me, Princess." Shahira set the board in her lap and then bowed.

"Oh, please stay a while, surely you could stray from your duties in the kitchens, Shahira."

"Not if we're to have a very special lunch for you today, Lady Jaia."

"What are we having today?" Jaia smiled.

"Your favorite..." Jaia leaned at the edge of her chair, hoping it was what she thought it was.

"Oden." she said and then walked away, leaving a _very_ ecstatic Jaia behind her.

Oden? That was her favorite- a human food that Sesshoumaru would barely even touch. Surely this girl eats raw animal flesh as well? Youkai blood ran through her veins almost as much as it does his brother, who also enjoys the taste of fresh blood every now and again.

Watching her set four marbles in every groove except the two at the end, he continued to contemplate the changes they would undergo throughout the week. Sure, now she was mimicking his every move, but sooner or later Sesshoumaru's youkai nature was going to grow very possessive of her, the bond becoming strongest before it dissolves.

Picking up all the marbles in one groove, she placed one of them in each hole as she moved along the board, sometimes dropping them in one end and other times skipping them. It was a rather simple game, but she seemed to enjoy it.

"You know, one day you'll have to play me in chess." she said, noticing him watching her.

"Simple people are easily occupied with simple games." he stated, knowing the effects those words would have on her. Instantly, her youki flared, her anger rising and the smell of the mignonette flower becoming warm.

"You, Sesshoumaru, are the most arrogant youkai in the known world." she said, before continuing with her game. Fighting the urge to smirk, he continued with his work.

At noon, Shahira brought in the oden and set a makeshift table up for her, "Why can't I eat in my room?" Jaia asked.

"Well, if you want I could..." Shahira started, but stopped immediately when Sesshoumaru began to growl. It seemed that Jaia understood what was being said, because she shook her head and sent her away.

"Aren't you hungry, Sesshoumaru?" Jaia asked, flopping down onto the couch, a very unladylike thing to do.

"Not for your human food."

"Oh, come on. I bet you haven't had a bite of this before. You should try it. It's _really_ good." she said, bringing a bowl over to him. The smell of it, while not disgusting, did not entice him either.

"No, thank you." he replied, reading over a report.

"Well at least take a break, you've been at that all morning!" she tapped her foot on the ground, knowing full-well that it would annoy him to the point of yelling. Instead of allowing her to continue, he stood put down his papers and watched her.

"See, that wasn't so hard, was it?"

"Silence, hanyou."

"Hanyou this, hanyou that... you were to think that you would call your _wife_ by her first name." Jaia said, eating her oden with her spoon.

"Silence, _Jaia_," Jaia could tell she was trampling on dangerous grounds, but continued anyway.

"Ooh, keep that up and the guys will think I've got you whipped." she winked at him. And then something she never would have imagined had come to pass.

The ends of his lips twitched.

"Oh, BAST!" Jaia exclaimed, moving her face very close to his. Inspecting the tugging at the corners of his mouth, she gasped and, throwing her head back, let out a very loud, unhindered laugh.

As if she was not annoying enough as it is, she had to go and try to make jokes. Sure, he was not the apathetic asshole he intended for everyone to view him as, but keeping up the facade was beneficial to ruling the lands under his power- human and youkai, alike, fearing him, trembling beneath his feet. But this hanyou, this woman-child was unafraid, and more than willing to match wits with him, and today proves to enjoy-dare he say it- _teasing_ him, as well.

"Is that the beginning of a smile, my Sesshoumaru? If you keep this up, people might start thinking that you spoil me." most would not have noticed the possessive 'my' in front of his name, but it was a sure clue that the bond was continuing to grow.

When she figured there was no forthcoming reply, she continued. "Have lunch with me, it would please me very much."

"Good thing that I am not here to please."

"Ah, but you see, you are here to please me because you just so happen to be my husband." she smirked, closing what little space was left between them.

"The bond seems to be addling your brain."

"Perhaps..." Jaia looked over to the desk and was about to pick up some papers, but with his lightning reflexes, he stopped her.

"So, what is your favorite food?" she asked, fingering a small astrolabe on his desk.

"If you think that we are going o have a warm family moment, you are sadly mistaken.

"Somehow, I don't think you're in a very good mood. Why don't you eat something?"

"I do not eat your _ningen_ food." he stressed he word 'ningen' again.

"Well what _would_ you like to eat?"

"Pestering hanyous who will not cease asking questions that do not concern them." he stated flatly and then closed his eyes, only to open them again once his _wife_ erupted into girlish laughter once more.

"Why, Lord Sesshoumaru, I believe that has got to be the first joke I've ever heard coming from you."

"Ask another question and you will see that I was not joking." The laughter quickly faded and the Lady stood. Although the Lord's eyes were closed, he could feel her move about the room and finally come to stand behind him. He was so attuned to her movement, in fact, that he caught her hand before she could place it on his shoulder.

"What are you doing?" he demanded.

"I-I was just..." she started.

"Nani?"

"I was just going to...well, never mind. Perhaps I should go." He released her hand and she started to move away from him, dreading every step, but fighting the bond all the way. When she reached the door, opening it barely an inch, she jumped back in surprise when it forcefully slammed shut. Looking a little above her right shoulder, she found Sesshoumaru's hand rested on the door.

"Do not play games with me Hanyou." When Jaia turned, she discovered his eyes still closed, and by his expression, she could sense that he was enjoying the close proximity.

"My-name-isn't-HANYOU!!" Jaia jabbed her finger into his chest each time se pronounced a word to emphasize her message. She was about to jab him again when he caught her wrist.

"Don't move." he commanded. Jaia heard the dangerous undertones in his voice. Obviously, the bond was affecting him much worse than expected.

"What's wrong?" she asked, slightly shifting to touch his arm lightly. He tightened his grip and clenched his jaw.

"Don't move," he repeated, pulling her back.

"This bond thing is really serious, isn't it?" Jaia asked. Sesshoumaru refused to dignify her with an answer. They stood like that for a moment when a familiar scent tingled their nostrils.

"Rin," they muttered in unison, shocking Sesshoumaru enough to move.

"Haha-ue!" Rin threw open the doors and rushed to wrap he tiny arms around the Lady's legs.

"Rin was so worried about her new okaa-san!" Rin buried her head into her kimono.

"I was very worried about you, too, Rin-chan." Jaia said in her slightly accented Japanese. She returned the hug and picked up the girl to place her on her hip- something a Lady would never be caught _dead_ doing.

"Why did you take so long to get better? Sesshoumaru-sama _never_ takes that long to heal." Ignoring Sesshoumaru's presence, Jaia sat down with the girl on the couch and began to explain the workings of hanyous.

"I'm a hanyou sweetheart, and sometimes it might take me a little longer than normal youkai to heal."

"Oh," the little girl seemed downcast for a moment and then- "Can Rin show you something?" she clasped her hands over her face and grinned broadly.

"Only if Rin starts using the word 'I' in place of her name." the little girl furrowed her eyebrows and then muttered something.

"Of course you can," Jaia finally admonished so that she could see that sweet smile of hers once again.

"Rin found this outside!" she opened a hand to reveal a small, glittery, green beetle nestled in her palm.

"It's beautiful!" Jaia grinned, remembering all the times when sh would send her mother into shock as she played with poisonous scorpions and cobras.

"Okaa-san likes Rin's present?" When Jaia looked up, she found that Sesshoumaru had already found himself at his desk once again.

"I love it," she gave Sesshoumaru a pointed glare, "And I'm sure that Lord Sesshoumaru likes it, too." Rin turned to face the man that had cared for her over the past four years and eagerly held up the dying beetle to show him. He appeared stuck for a moment, but finally he replied, "It would make an addition to the flowers you have collected."

Rin beamed and ran to hug her protector, only to pull back and excitedly exclaim, "Rin must find more to show Sesshoumaru-sama and okaa-san." Rin then flew through the open doors, slamming them shut behind her as she went.

"Such a busy-body." Jaia clucked her tongue as she gracefully rose to stand. "I admit that I am jealous that you've known her longer." Sesshoumaru did not answer, instead, he regarded her with mild interest.

"Nani?" she drew her arms around herself nervously.

"Sit down and be quiet. I have work to complete." he then turned his eyes back to the remaining papers on his desk.

"I'm going off to bed." Jaia stretched and yawned cattily. It was most inappropriate for a lady to behave in such a way, but Sesshoumaru found her mannerisms quite refreshing. "Yes, nice, long, hot bath and then bed is all I dream of right now." She stepped over to the desk and folded her arms under her chin, watching him intently. At first, he was going to ignore her, but decided it would be wonderful to bother her in return.

"You look tired." he struggled to keep the corners of his mouth from twitching when she cupped her cheeks with her palms.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing more than intended. It is only that," he stopped himself short there, knowing that she would get self-conscious.

"What? I don't look like a troll or anything, do I?" she asked.

"You look beautiful." She blushed here, "But that doesn't stop bags from forming under the eyes."

"What?" she shot up, and turned away from him, awarding Sesshoumaru a lovely view of her backside.

"You are still appropriately dressed, although your kimono is wrinkled from the improper way you sit."

"N-no it isn't!" she gathered the fabric at the hem. When she found his scent doused in amusement, she glared indignantly at him, only to have her expression alter by a smug smirk.

"You know," she began to walk across the room. Thinking that she was about to leave, Sesshoumaru growled in displeasure. But she stood near the door, admiring things here and there. "I've heard many stories about the Great and Terrible Taiyoukai, Sesshoumaru- many things indeed.

"Stories about how you raised an army of the world's greatest fighters, how you could defeat an enemy with just one swipe of your claws, or how you could easily wrestle the lands from the most stubborn of Lords and destroy any who would dare stand in your path." She turned to finger the spine of a book.

"But I also hear about how you would let a dangerous hanyou roam free beyond your border to wreak havoc when you could easily destroy him. I've learned of how you'd used the arm of a dead demon," she turned to face Sesshoumaru with a mischievous glint in her eyes, "to wield a sword made of that demon's bone, just so your sword would be as great as your half-brother's." She walked over to the desk and planted her hands upon it, lowering head to his level. "Not to mention the fact that he was the one who cut your real arm off in the first place.

"SILENCE!" Sesshoumaru's eyes were bleeding. Although she had not seen him move, but he next time she blinked, he had her pinned up against the wall. "Are you hoping for death?"

"Just a little payback for earlier." she said, gasping for breath. It was not only the fact that he was carefully controlling his youki so as not to kill her, but the position they were in, with his leg between hers and one hand pinning hers high above her head, the position they were in was beginning to slightly arouse her. Hoping that he would not notice, she remained as immobile as possible, even holding her breath.

"Your game played is a very dangerous game." he continued to battle with his youki.

"Are you wondering why you married me at all, yet?" she asked. Hopefully the thought would calm him a bit, and the conversation would get her out of feeling so...

"I do not second-guess my choices, hanyou." he growled again and then inhaled.

And then sniffed lightly.

And then sniffed again.

Looking at her with accusing eyes, Jaia guiltily tried to press herself further into the wall, hoping that he would understand her difficulty. But alas, Sesshoumaru was known to take advantage of situations, especially when he could torture her. Raising his knee a little higher, Jaia received a fluttering sensation in the pit of her stomach.

"Speaking of your sleeping arrangements, I will not allow you to stay in your room for the rest of this week."

"But that's improper...I shouldn't be staying in your room like that. The servants would think" she was blushing furiously, and her words were soft.

"-that you were my wife?"he finished for her.

"Sessh, I really don't think..." the rest of her words were drowned out. Her building arousal, coupled by the improper use of his name did wonders to his mind.

"You'll be in my bed tonight. Be content that I will not accompany you to the bath house." he growled seductively in her ear and then released her.

"Now, I will reign my youki until dusk. If you have not returned by then, I wonder at what might...satiate...my animalistic urges." he growled suggestively. Dusk? That was in half an hour! Knowing the seriousness of their situation, Jaia scrambled to stand and rushed out of the door without so much as a backward glance.

_Oh, my. Oh, my. Oh, my. Oh, my. OH, MY!_ This bond thing was starting to scare her. Not only was she beginning to experience the most complicated things in the world, but the Lord had to add fuel to the fire by throwing around innuendo. Could her life _be_ anymore complicated?

Jaia rushed into the bathhouse, praying to all the gods, hoping that she would make it out before he came for her- and Jaia knew what would happen, then. For a moment, she had believed that she had gotten over- she married a inuyoukai who was not expecting her to mate, ignored her, which was better than the treatment women received at home, and had given her the greatest gift of all- Rin. But now, everything was falling apart: Rin was kept busy with her studies, Shahira was always in the kitchens, and now the bond was strengthening.

"At least this will give me comfort." Jaia sighed happily as she slid into the hot springs thoroughly enjoying the freeing effect it had on her sore body and troubled mind.

After washing herself thoroughly, Jaia knew that she was cutting her allotted time quite close, and that by the view of the sky from the outer doors, she could imagine that she barely had another ten or twelve minutes to dress and be on her way.

"Oh, just on moment." She closed her eyes and slipped further into the depths of the water. Her eyes sliding closed, Jaia shrugged, thinking that Sesshoumaru could wait one or two minutes more.

"My Lady!!" Aieko, a maid-servant came rushing into the bath house.

"What?" Jaia had just about fallen asleep in the blissfully warm springs. Stretching and yawning, she started for her robes, a slight feeling of unease falling into the pit of her stomach.

"Hurry and dress! My Lord is on his way here now!" Jaia's eyes nearly popped ou of her skull with tose words. How could she have forgotten! As the maid rushed to cover her with the first layer of te kimono Jaia looked outside to find that it was pitch black outside. How long did he have to control his youki?!

"Okay, here's the second layer," The maid pulled another pice of clothing over her head.

"There's no time for anymore, just tie my obi...quick!" Jaia rushed her. Trembling, the maid fumbled with the long strip, hoping that she would tie it right.

"OUT!" the shout from the outside doors caused both the maid and the Lady to jump back in fear. There, Sesshoumaru stood, hair flying away on the violent wind, his eyes deep red, and his body glowing with power.

"Yes, my Lord." She was not the only one to leave: the guards that stood at the entrances and toward the bak immediately shuffled out of the room, the last one closing the doors behind him.

Jaia was too afraid to breathe. He had been acting strange earlier, but now- how what would he do to her? To scare her, her mother once told her about what her father did after she had denied him for several days. He would not do that to her- would he? It would have ben against the deal they had made.

_I am in so much shit! _Jaia thought to herself, watching Sesshoumaru, and afraid to move for fear of being attacked, and wanting to move closer to him, in hopes of contact. _Don't think that way! If I'm in any way, shape, or form aroused...he'll...he'll-_ Jaia forced herself to think of other things, ut it was quite difficult, with him staring at her like that.

_Bunny rabbits...rainbows. _Jaia began reciting her 'Happy Thoughts' train which she used whenever she needed to calm her anger, or in this case, arousal. Just as long as she did not move, he would not smell it. _Flowers, Rin, Shahira, Sakti, crescent moons..._ when the words were not calming her down, she concentrated harder: _Lemons, mignonette, hemp, silk, birds, camels, cats...Dad, Mom, dogs...Sesshoumaru- no!_ She turned red when she imagined the way he would look in traditional Egyptian clothing- His pale, chest, glistening in sweat from the hot Kemetian sun, his narrow hips switching as he walked the halls of her father's palace...a nice view of his romp when he walked up the hundreds of steps outside her mother's dedication temple. In that fraction of a second, where she had let her mind wander, he had her pinned up against the eggshell stonewalls.

"Sessh," she could hardly breath, so she cut his name short when he pressed himself closer to her, driving her back into the wall farther. Her eyes met his. "Don't do this." She whispered to him. Surely he was going to kill her. Sesshoumaru was breathing heavy, and he seemed to be trying to gain control again, but the harder he breathed, the more of an effort it seemed to stop himself.

"You disobeyed me. You dis...obeyed my command."

His foolish hanyou bitch had tried his authority one too many times, and this was the last straw. He would teach her. She belonged to him, and she would learn her lesson well. So when she did not show up, ten minutes after the set time, he carefully planned and constructed different ways to torture her: training in sword-fighting, katas, a strict vegetarian diet for a month, etc., etc. But her absence ad left him wanting to be closer to her- to touch her in very intimate ways, leaving Sesshoumaru in an odd position. Thus, he decided to satiate his appetite, while abiding by their agreement.

"Sesshoumaru...please." That one sentence set his youki into hyper-drive. His bitch was begging, pleading him. Too bad fo her that she was not specific. So when she opened her mouth to say more, he attacked her with his.

At first, she tried to fight him, pushing at his chest, but he could smell her arousal: it was easily spotted.

_What the hell is he doing!_ Jaia tried with all her might to push him away, kick at him, even scream- but the way he was using his youki to calm her, and the way his hands were firmly planted on her hips, and the way his hips began to suggestively rock...

Even she could smell her own arousal.

So when Sesshoumaru grabbed her, the most pleasurable sensation shot through her stomach and she found herself wanting him to touch her more. Soon, her own hands were roving all over his body: first his shoulders, then his arms, and lastly his back. In response, Sesshoumaru pulled her unimaginably closer until it was almost painful. It was not until the most pungent smell entered the room that they would even think that someone might catch them.

"M-my a-apologies, m-my Lord." Jaken stuttered, completely embarrassed to catch his two masters in such a position. Lord Sesshoumaru growled angrily and pulled away from her. Cheeks burning, Jaia averted her eyes and began to rub her arms shyly.

"Leave, Jaken." Sesshoumaru commanded. The little green toad scurried out of the room faster than even Sesshoumaru could manage. The Taiyoukai turned to face her, his expression convincing Jaia that he will not let her go just yet.

"Please, Sesshou..." Jaia would have left his name at that had it not been the equivalent to 'Killer'. "Maru, don't hurt me." She cowered against the wall, the smell of her uneasiness permeating the room. She did not know it yet, but her fear and lust are both triggers of setting off his youki.

"I have yet to do so." he stepped closer, hoping that she would become more afraid. Soon, she was shivering, and her very own lust was starting to eat at her.

"I must go," she made to move and for a moment, Sesshoumaru was going to stop her, but upon reflection, he knew that he was pushing this woman-child very far. He did not like her overly much, but he would not have her fearing him. And there was still his word that he gave her- he would never back out of it.

Only toy with it.


	4. Beyond The West

Chapter Four: Beyond The West

_This bond is eating me alive. Why did I have to pick a fight with him?_ Jaia quickly dismissed the thought as she paced her room, knowing that she did it for Rin's defense, and would do it again, even knowing the consequences.

What was she _thinking_ enjoying every moment of their exchange? Sure, she was young and had yet to be courted by _any_ demon, but seriously, to react like that was unladylike, and her guilt for her actions was suffered. So when Shahira asked her about the enmity between herself and her husband, she was too embarrassed to explain.

"We...talked." Jaia sipped at her tea, absently looking past her.

"Talked?" Shahira sounded amused. She snorted over her asagohan and placed her hands on her hips. "If I didn't know better, I'd say that hickeys are generally earned during moments of passion." she pointed to he neck. Gasping, Jaia's hand flew to the mark and she blushed a deep mahogany.

"It's just the 'bond', _riiight_?" Shahira knowingly winked.

"Ugh," Jaia sniffed as she slammed her hand on the table, "I don't know _why_ I tolerate you."

"Because you love me." Shahira laughed.

"Whatever," Jaia looked away, still a little embarrassed by her discovery. "Can you spend the day with me? Sesshoumaru is having an old 'friend' visiting and I don't want to look too concerned."

"In other words, Lord Sesshoumaru is having a girl over and you're worried that you might be cast aside and want to look busy just in case he ignores you." Jaia blushed.

"That's not it _at all_." she stuck her nose high in the air.

"Oh, Lord Sesshoumaru, you cannot fathom how pleased I was to hear of your invitation." Lady Kasumi of the Northern lands was busy batting her pretty black eyelashes at the Lord across the dining table.

The neko-youkai was flighty, flirtatious, and vapid- all three of Jaia's _least_ favorite characteristics. With long ebony hair, pale, white skin, and dark blue eyes, her body was sculpted to perfection- she was incredibly thin and languid, as she bothered to show Jaia that morning.

"It was not only for you, Lady Kasumi," he said pointedly. Two others sat at the table- one, a blue-haired, brown-eyed wolf demon named Kouga, and a brown skinned, red-haired tiger-demon by the name of Tetsuya.

Every time the Northern Lady placed a hand on Sesshoumaru, Jaia growled warningly, and each time she would remove it, she would innocently sip at her tea. One that seemed to noticed this behavior was Tetsuya, and his eyes gained a slight twinkle every time.

"So, how long have you been in the West, my Lady?" Jaia, who was used to being ignored during the entire affair, nearly dropped her tea cup when she was addressed by the Lord of the Southern Lands.

"Aa, only a few weeks," normally, her Japanese was near perfect, but as she answered, her accent shown through.

"That is quite a charming accent you have there, where are you from?" Jaia blushed: this youkai was absolutely handsome, and he was actually paying attention to her where Sesshoumaru would blatantly ignore her.

"Kemet...or Egypt as many would like to call us."

"Ah, yes. I've visited there for some time. Tell me, does Senmut still run the youkai society?"

"Oh, yes!" Jaia exclaimed, just a little interested in the mentioning of her father's name.

"So you must be..." he seemed to be thinking hard, "Ah, you must be the 'Kyky-Sherit.'" Shahira, who was currently handing out the main dish snorted and lowered her face so that Jaia could not see her merriment.

"Yes," Jaia said, cheeks burning.

"You have grown into such a beautiful woman." he said, eliciting a blush from her. Now, it was Sesshoumaru's turn to growl.

"And you are... the Lord who can see into one's heart."

"Yes...let me see." he reached out to lightly stroke her hand, Sesshoumaru's steady growl increasing.

"Ah, yes, what young girl doesn't have the need to love? Young child," Sesshoumaru's growls became a little more violent, "you must learn to be patient and accepting." he removed his hand, the gesture calming Sesshoumaru a bit, but his eyes remained locked on the elder Lord.

"So what are the Southern Lands like?" Jaia moved closer to the demon Lord as they made their way to Sesshoumaru's private office.

"Very beautiful, and much warmer than up here."

"Really? I thought that all of these lands were freezing." Tetsuya smiled.

"Compared to your country I suppose you're right." he nodded.

When they reached the doors to te office, Tetsuya placed his hand on the small of her pack, gesturing for her to step in first.

"Do you have a wife, Lord Tetsuya?" Jaia asked.

"Of course, and three lovely children. I would very much like for you to meet them."

"What are their names?" She asked.

"My wife's name is Mika, and my children are Yasu-hiko, Keimaru, and Akaria. I think that you and my young daughter might find pleasure in each other's company." he smiled pleasantly. "How is Pharaoh Hathshepsut?" Jaia averted her eyes and pouted slightly.

"She is doing well." He must have noticed a change in her scent, because he decided to let the matter drop.

"How are you liking our lands so far?" Tetsuya asked as they seated themselves around a table.

"Very much, although I miss the sand." Jaia shrugged. Smiling, Tetsuya leaned over and stroked her cheek a bit, much to the annoyance of Sesshoumaru.

"I'm sure you'll see it once again."

"If we could start the meeting." Jaia jumped at the sound of Sesshoumaru's voice beside her. When she looked over, he seemed just about ready to kill. Sitting on his right at the head of the table, Jaia folded her arms in front as she watched Kasumi take the opposite seat and Tetsuya and Kouga sit across from one another.

"Lord Sesshoumaru, I have, time and again, requested that soldiers be sent to the Northern Lands to deal with the human uprises. Those filthy _ningens_ want more freedoms."

"Why don't you use your own soldiers, Lady Kasumi?"

"Because," she inched closer to him, "It would be nice to have you in my compound again." Sputtering slightly on the hot green tea, Jaia's fury burned as she realized the double meaning to her words.

"Not possible." Sesshoumaru relieved Jaia as he coldly glared at the Lady of the Northern Lands.

"What of that dangerous hanyou dwelling within your boarders?" Tetsuya looked to Kouga.

"I'm still working on it." Kouga huffed and averted his eyes.

"You cannot handle a simple hanyou? Come now, don't tell me that some unintelligent, weak, vulnerable half-breed..."

"Be careful of your words, Kasumi." Jaia cut off her rant. "Someone might get the impression that you believe hanyous are inferior."

Sensing the oncoming storm, Tetsuya interrupted, "Of course not _all_ hanyous, my dear. Lady Kasumi is only expressing her frustration with the situation. Between us we have an army of forty-thousand. There is no reason why this man should remain out of our grasp." Pursing her lips, Jaia nodded, her eyes dangerously locked onto the demoness.

"He keeps moving back and forth between the lands...I can't track him." Kouga defended.

"You were charged with the duty to take care of him. If you cannot accomplish ths simple task, perhaps the wolf tribe needs to select a new leader." Turning beet red at Sesshoumaru's words, Kouga jumped up and slammed is hand down on the table.

"Blow me, I know what I'm doing. That bastard's got many allies and it doesn't help that you won't let me bring my soldiers into your borders."

"What is the nose worth if it cannot sniff out the foul scent of hanyou?" Kasumi attacked again.

"That is enough!" Jaia began to pant. "Leave him be...all of you. I don't see _you_ making any effort to find him yourself, _Lady Kasumi_." Jaia narrowed her eyes, "This would all be easier if you worked together and send scouting teams. A Lord may or may not be able to leave his house long enough for fear that his lands be wrested from him. It is my suggestion that all four lands send four teams of four high-ranking demons to find this _hanyou_ and quit bitching about someone else failing at their jobs!" Kasumi gasped at her use of foul language, Kouga seemed endeared, and Tetsuya chuckled.

"Who are you to make these decisions? You have no power here." Kasumi stood.

"I am as the Lady of the Western Lands as much as you are the Lady of the North, _Kasumi_. And quite frankly, despite my limited time in Japan, I seem to know much more about running an alliance. _You _have no right to silence me. The only one who has that right is..." Jaia ranted.

"...Me." Lord Sesshoumaru gracefully stood and glanced back and forth between the two women. "Remain silent, Princess. This is not your station." Kasumi triumphantly smirked at Jaia as both she and Sesshoumaru took a seat.

"And Kasumi, if you insult my wife once more, you will pay for your words with your life." Sesshoumaru plainly said and then turned back to Tetsuya.

"Your report?" Speechless, Tetsuya nearly dropped his teacup. Whatever they started talking about, Jaia ignored, only watching Kasumi's movements and flirtations with her husband. Drowning in anger, she lightly chewed on the inside of her cheek and tightened her fists. Her anger must have been felt because Kasumi's flirtations increased, Tetsuya watched her out of the corner of his eye, and Kouga squirmed around a bit.

And the day continued on and on like that, Kasumi would touch Sesshoumaru, Jaia would growl, Tetsuya would compliment Jaia, and Sesshoumaru's claws would drip with poison. Soon, however, Jaia became impatient with it all and began to tune everything out, merely reciting childhood songs in her mind and trying to remember every animal she'd ever seen in her lands.

"My lady, young miss Rin would like to speak with you." Jaia looked up for Sesshoumaru's permission, but he was already occupied as he tried to fend Kasumi off. She turned back to Aeiko, Sesshoumaru's personal maid, and nodded. Soon, Rin burst into the chamber, carrying a large bouquet of flowers in hand. Unfortunately, the smell of the human caught Kasumi's attention, and as the little girl attached herself to Jaia's legs, the demoness licked her fangs.

"Oh, Sesshoumaru-sama, you've brought us a present. Kasumi made to grab Rin, and before Sesshoumaru could even move, Jaia grabbed her wrist and roughly twisted it, causing Kasumi to fall to her knees in pain.

"I have endured your insults, personal attacks, and open flirtations with my husband, but I will _not_ permit you to place one claw on my child. _Is that understood_?" Jaia's eyes were starting to bleed and her lungs seemed to be getting heavier and heavier by the moment. Today was just a little too much on her heart, and she was _not_ about to touch something that was hers- not Rin at least: Sesshoumaru could take care of himself. The lady nodded, but Jaia put pressure on her wrist even more. That was not an acceptable answer.

"Yes...yes..." she gasped. Finally, Jaia released her and watched carefully as Kasumi raised to her feet.

"I did not know that she was your child." Kasumi rubbed her skin, wincing.

"You do now. Do not forget." Turning to Rin, she found the little girl staring, eyes wide with wonder. The room was deadly quit, and she could feel the eyes of everyone on the back of her head.

"What is it that you wanted to see me about, Rin?"

"R- I..." the little girl stuttered.

"Rin? Cat's got your tongue?" Jaia bent over and stroked her face lovingly, trying her best to assure Rin that she was not mad with her.

"I wanted okaa-san to come play in the gardens with me. I finished my kanji..." Rin held out a smeared scroll of mal-formed Chinese characters." Smiling, Jaia took the scroll from her and tapped it on her chin.

"You should do them again. Your lesson time has yet to end."

"But...I've finished." Rin looked crestfallen.

"I know, but now that you remember them, you have to practice them to be sure that you'd never forget. Now go and practice...okay? We can play in the gardens tomorrow." Jaia patted her on the head and smiled. Shoulders sagging, Rin turned away and walked out of the room slowly, her beautiful scent dissipating.

"How dare you!" Kasumi finally gained her senses. Jaia turned around to find her wit fangs barred and hands tightened.

"Silence." Sesshoumaru's cool voice cut through the tension, causing both girls to jump back in surprise.

"The delegations have ended. If there are no more concerns, I will see you each to your borders."

h

"You behaved like a child." only twenty mutes ago, Sesshoumaru returned. By the smell of him, Kasumi must have tried to mate before being sent back to her border.

"_I_ behaved like a child? She would have killed Rin! Not to mention her insults, and blatant disrespect. _You _were the one to do nothing about it! How exactly was I supposed to react?" She paced her room back and forth, Sesshoumaru's eyes staying trained to one spot beyond the wall.

"Like the Lady of the Western Lands."

"Oh yes, then in that case I should have killed her!"

"Yes, you should have." Jaia stopped suddenly and then turned to face him.

"How is _that_ better?" she growled.

"Hurting her pride was much more dangerous than killing her outright. Now, if she so chooses, she could plot many assassinations against you."

"I highly doubt that she has the..."

"It would be easy, too. You let your guard down all the time."

"No I don't!"

"Is that so? Then tell me what you know about Tetsuya, Lord of the Southern Lands." Jaia faltered and then glanced down at her sandals.

"Well...he shares an alliance with the West, and he's a tiger demon. He has a wife and three children..." her voice lowered as she fidgeted with a handful of her yukata.

"I surmised as much." he watched her intently as her head remained bowed. "Lord Tetsuya is the first Tiger Lord of the South. He was formerly the servant of Lord Yuri, an inu-youkai. He killed his master in his sleep, took his wife and forced her to mate him, and killed the Lord's most dedicated servants. His charm is what leaves the ignorant unsuspecting." Jaia was silent for a few minutes longer and then-

"Oh, yeah? But what about Kasumi, eh? If I didn't know better, by the way you smell I'd say that you and her are really _good_ acquaintances."

"Is that bitterness I hear in your tone?" Sesshoumaru's eyes flashed.

"No, it's indignance. How dare you let her touch you like that, and in front of me, too! According to our deal, you..." she started to rant.

"Can do whatever I like so long as I do not mate with her." Panting, Jaia shook with unleashed fury.

"So it's like that, eh? Very well, then, why don't I just call for Hideo, huh? I'm sure he'd find me interesting enough to..." Jaia gasped as he, in the blink of an eye, grabbed her.

"You will be careful not to say such things." he growled.

"Oh, so _you_ have the right to be jealous, but when I express _my_ concerns _I'm_ being childish."

"I will have no other man touch you."

"How dare you say that!" Jaia growled, "Fine! If you want to have it that way...I had better not find any woman touching you like that again!"

"You waste your breath saying such things."

"Oh, how so?" Jaia stormed up to him and glared. Their faces barely inches apart, Sesshoumaru seemed confident as ever and Jaia, angry beyond reason, searched his eyes for an answer. Smirking, he formed is reply.

"You have no means of enforcing it." In a flash, Jaia had him pinned down to the floor. For a moment, she thought she may have actually bested him, but when she saw the smirk widened to a grin, she knew that he must have been planning this all along.

"I thought we had an agreement, Hanyou." he chuckled, the sound resonating deep within his chest. Growling, Jaia tightened her grip on his shoulders.

"Ack!" Sesshoumaru had rolled over, successfully reversing their positions.

"Get off of me, Sesshoumaru!" she struggled against him.

"Thought you'd bested me?" Sesshoumaru smirked.

"Get off!" He tightened his grip.

Being so many miles away from her must have rattled his brain. The touch of Kasumi, her disgusting, blood-stained breath, repulsed him. Every thought turned to his Princess, every motion reminded him of her. So when Kasumi was finally dropped off at her border, he used his maximum demon speed, only to return to find her barring her fangs at the entrance to his room.

The scent of her anger roused his youki, so for what seemed like hours, he reigned it in, letting the heat between them rise. It was unfortunate for her.

At first she was upset, but as they continued to argue, she felt the need to become angrier, to rouse his inner demon. It was pay back for flirting with that bitch, and in the end, he would suffer tremendously because he would never go against his word and try to mate her. It was a great plan, shoving this in his face. So when he forced his lips onto hers, she knew she had him- she knew that she would walk away as victor today.

A/N: This chapter was a bit short, but I wanted to end right here. Don't worry, there'll be more to come soon for those of you who have been awaiting an update, and for newcomers, I hope you like my original character- she's so damned cocky!

Really, I wanted to thank the few who have reviewed, it really gives me confidence and makes me want to write a bit more for my patrons. Please, if you can, take the time out to review. It's my motivation. But until next time, Ja ne!


	5. Deepening

Chapter Five: Deepening

When he seized her lips, he knew he had her. While his bitch thought that she could control him, toy with him, he knew, that this was a game better played by the experienced, and she should soon realize that her innocence will be the virtue that he would use to get what he wanted.

"Sesshoumaru..." she whispered into his mouth as he coaxed her into letting him pull her closer.

"Inuyasha...what are you doing?" a young girl with ebony black hair impatiently tapped her foot while watching her white-haired friend badger a small fox-demon.

"He started it!" the hanyou growled and then smacked the small creature off his arm.

"Sit!" She shouted. Immediately, his head rammed into the ground.

"Kagome," a monk walked up behind her, "Are you sure that you sense the jewel shards in the West?"

"Of course I do!"

"Somehow I don't think Sesshoumaru's going to openly welcome us into his lands." Miroku, always the voice of reason, instilled nothing but more fear into the taijiya.

"That's why we're going straight to him first to ask permission."

"It would certainly be the proper thing but, Kagome" the priest began. Kagome turned around and placed her hands on her hips.

"We don't have much of the jewel anymore and every little shard that counts against him gives us a better chance at dealing with him. So we're going...that's the end of the story!" Kagome turned back around and huffed in displeasure. There was only one thought that kept repeating in the houshi's mind over and over again.

_We're all going to die_.

_What am I doing?_ Jaia thought as she ran her fingers through his long, silky white hair. There was no logical explanation for this- she'd gone mad. Maybe it was the bond, she could not know- hell, maybe it was that intoxicating scent of his- all she knew was that when he touched her, all her anger, all her hatred, completely dissipated.

The hanyou underneath him gasped as he gently raked his claws along her smooth body. How he could refrain from doing this for so long was beyond him. Their glares, their arguments, their battles- it was all some front. For some time she had been using her indignance as a card in their game of keep-away. But this time, he'd end up winning in the end. He would make _her_ break their agreement.

A soft moan escaped her mouth and time seemed to freeze. Slowly, imperceptibly, Sesshoumaru sliced through her obi with his claws, the front of her yukata loosening. With expertise, he slid his hand inside, lightly gazing her flesh with his claws, preparing to message one of her womanly attributes when-

"Sesshoumaru-sama!" The most pungent smell assaulted his nostrils. Growling , Sesshoumaru lifted himself and turned to glare at his servant.

"Please forgive this lowly Jaken!" the toad sank to his knees and began to bow to him again and again, muttering apologies.

"What is it?" he snapped. The Lady beneath him pulled the fabric of her yukata together, blushing. He held her down, not wanting her to leave his presence just yet.

"Inuyasha and his friends crossed the western borders a few hours ago. Sentries have returned only just moments ago bearing the news." Sesshoumaru growled menacingly.

"He is not to be allowed near my castle."

"B-but, s-sir! He is already here!" Sesshoumaru's eyes nearly bled at the comment. How dare he tread upon the grounds of his compound?

The demon inside him itched to destroy something. Inadvertently, his grip on the girl tightened. Letting out a growl of irritation, Jaia had somehow managed to calm his youki.

"What's all this about." Thankful for the interruption, Jaia was relieved that Jaken had yet to comment upon the precarious position he had found them in.

"Sesshoumaru-sama's younger brother..." Jaken nearly choked on his words. Sesshoumaru was giving him a look of pure evil.

"Brother?" Jaia furrowed her brows. _Ah yes,_ a look of understanding crossed her face,_ the one he hates._

Why would he come here of all places? Surely, he had visited before, but a surge of protectiveness found itself adding to the heat of his boiling blood, not to mention the feeling that his household was being degraded by the presence of humans.

"_Half-_brother." he corrected. Ah, so this was an _extremely _touchy subject. Searching his aura, she could smell a sudden spike of anger coursing through his body. He must have felt insulted. Jaia wasted no time trying to placate him again- if she ever could.

"Jaken, prepare some tea for the guests. Make them comfortable. We will meet with them"

"_You_ are going nowhere." he growled. He didn't want his bitch anywhere near that sword-waving pup. He was sure that the pup was coming for something he wanted.

"Sesshoumaru, you can't keep me _all_ to yourself," she joked, "I would like to meet your family."

"You are mine." he growled, his vice-like grip tightening.

"Jaken, go." she ordered, looking her Lord in the eyes. Neither youkai said nothing. With Sesshoumaru's weight still pinning her down, there was little she could do. Finally, the Lord spoke, "Go." The toad scurried from sight, the shoji door sliding shut behind him.

Eyes rimmed in red, he accepted her silent challenge. The demon inside Sesshoumaru was well aware that she long needed to be put in her place. Jaia lifted herself slowly, but he slammed her back down. The bitch was challenging him again.

Suddenly the glare in her eyes softened, and she quietly offered him a truce. He did not release her, but he loosened his grip so that she could lean forward and nuzzle her nose against his neck. Instantly, his anger deflated, but his lust rekindled.

Kami, that felt so good. His eyes fluttered closed and he tilted his head so that she might gain better access. "Sesshoumaru," she whispered. He huskily growled in response. She continued her ministrations for a moment longer.

"I wish to meet him. Please..." he was about to flat out refuse when she began to nuzzle him again, this time, giving him tiny Eskimo kisses, her nose playfully rubbing against his, her lips inadvertently brushing his.

His bitch could play a mean game.

And she was winning.

He caught her lips and began to kiss her. The fiery scent of her arousal growing almost sent him over the edge. He deepened the kiss, and settled one leg between hers. The sound of a soft sigh alerted him that the fortunes were turning in his favor- now she was going to be the one losing control.

"Sesshoumaru," his name was muffled against his mouth. He left her lips and went to her neck, finding her weakest spot almost immediately. Once his tongue darted out to meet her flesh, she squeezed her legs together in an attempt to keep the unexpected moan from escaping. He had no idea she could be so affected by such a small thing. But then again, she was such a sensitive creature.

"Your brother," she croaked out, fighting for dominance over what were sure to be feelings that were foreign to her. Sesshoumaru kissed her once more and then let up. He should go meet with his brother before he broke their agreement right there. Gracefully rising to his feet, he held out a hand for her to take.

Jaia growled in jealousy. Only he could engage in a very heated make-out session and be completely unruffled and regal as ever. On the other hand, her hair was slightly disheveled and her breath came in quick pants. She nervously took his hand after smoothing her hair down once again.

Once she finished, not a strand was out of place.

But one problem remained- she was still feeling the effects of their play.

"As the Lady of the household it would be improper to not personally welcome a guest of the house." she bowed, hoping for the formalities to calm her. It was slowly working.

"Your yukata." he motioned to her torn garb.

"Easily remedied. I will meet you back here when I have finished."

When Jaia had returned, he was standing behind the shoji door, his eyes locking onto hers. It had nearly caught her off guard, so when he pushed past her, she had clutched her chest and turned to face him. Her gave her a silent look of approval and then turned his back to her. Leaving the door open so that she may follow, he began his quick ascent to the great hall. She quietly followed, careful not to overstep in her complicated pale chartreuse kimono. Suddenly, a barrage of foreign scents found her.

Once the doors to his offices opened, three scrambled to stand. A young man with a ponytail held a staff in his hands. Prayer beads wrapped around one hand, he bowed his head to the couple. Next to him was obviously a Taijiya. Wearing the traditional body suit, she held a small neko-youkai in her hands. How a demon came to form an alliance with one of such an occupation she would not know, but she was sure it would make a wonderful story. Lastly was a girl in a very tiny kimono, a yellow satchel attached curiously around her arms.

She wondered where his brother was when a pair of golden eyes caught her like a beacon of light in the night. With long silver hair, amber eyes, and long fangs, she instantly knew this one was the 'Inuyasha' Jaken spoke of. But there was something slightly off... his scent was that of a

"Hanyou." Sesshoumaru greeted. The half-demon replied with a 'feh' and looked to her. His stubborn mood left almost immediately, "Who's the bitch?" he asked with interest.

What the hell? Sesshoumaru with a woman? He long gave up on entertaining the notion of his older brother being even remotely _interested_ in women. But then again, she could just be there for looks.

"This is my wife, Lady Jaia."

"YOUR WHAT?" Inuyasha cried. "WIFE?"

"We are pleased to meet you, my Lady." Miroku bowed.

"Oh, the pleasure is all mine." she smiled warmly and then motioned for them to sit. Everyone besides Inuyasha immediately complied.

"And you are?" she asked. Sesshoumaru was uncharacteristically calm. Miroku was almost worried. The woman, however, seemed extremely kind, and her aura was very welcoming.

"I am Miroku, and these are my friends, Inuyasha, Kagome, Sango, and Shippou." The Lady's eyes immediately flew to the fox. She must not have noticed him at first. Her eyes immediately softened at him.

"Why are you in my lands?" Sesshoumaru finally barked.

"Kagome sensed a Shikon jewel within your realm. We have come to ask your permission to claim it."

The one called Miroku was the only one to speak. Fear permeated the room- it struck her like a ton of bricks when she first stepped in, but she was too occupied with the sight of seeing so many humans traveling with a demon. And said demon so happened to be a hanyou, a half-demon, much like herself. For some reason, she could not take her eyes off him.

The physical resemblance was striking indeed. His hair, long and white, coupled with those dark, amber eyes, made it easy to see that they were closely related. But that was where the similarities between the two ended.

Where Sesshoumaru was calm and calculating, his brother seemed loud and assuming. His walk, speech, and manner of dress greatly contrasted that of his brother. Her eyes darting between the two demons shooting daggers with their eyes, she no longer wondered why he would keep him away from her.

"Lord Sesshoumaru," she questioned, knowing that he would want her to address him formally while in the presence of company.

"It will not be allowed. Leave my compound immediately." Jaia blushed and looked to her hands immediately. He was being so rude to the guests. Shahira would have a fit if she saw that.

"Lord Sesshoumaru," she began again, "would it not be kind to permit them to find whatever it is they are looking for. They don't seem as though the would intentionally harm"

"You are stepping out of line again, Princess." he warned.

"My Lord," the houshi bowed respectfully. "Everyday we are faced with the knowledge that the jewel is nearing its completion. We have also come to face that the demon Naraku holds a much larger piece. Every shard we sense is few and far between, thus we impress upon you the urgency of our need to gather as many remaining pieces as possible."

Not knowing much about the topic of conversation, Jaia listened intently. Obviously this jewel was something of much import. These humans would never have thought to approach a lord, a demon lord no less, to find it. Not to mention, the simple utterance of the demon's name caused the fear in this room to increase.

"Please, sit," Jaia nodded to the only other half demon in the room. He had been staring at her for some time now. Obviously he had picked up on her scent, finally realizing that she was a hanyou. The pup complied, watching her as she poured a cup of tea for everyone.

"I need not invite my Lord to be seated, he will do so when he sees fit."

This was a strange turn of events. His hanyou was acting so very...ladylike- which was completely _un_like her. He watched her pouring tea out of the corner of his eyes. She was using her intelligence to mediate the negotiations while trying her best to make sure that he seemed to have been in control. She was very good.

But once again, not good enough. He would not be swayed on this situation.

"I will stand," he resolved.

"Would my Lord like tea?" she asked. He replied with only silence. Jaia sat back in her seat, sipping lightly. She had learned to read him well enough to take that as a 'no'.

"Is there anything that we could do to make you change your mind?"

"No."

"I ain't leavin' the shard to Naraku!" Inuyasha shouted, catching his wife off guard. Her hands immediately flew to her ears, the teacup nearly spilling its hot content al over her beautiful kimono. He caught the cup before it could spill, and held out the porcelain ware for her to take.

"Thank you," she blushed and the placed it on the table.

"Watch yourself, hanyou." Sesshoumaru warned his half-brother. Unsettling his bitch was not something he would take lightly.

"This jewel, what importance does it hold for you?" Jaia asked. Sesshoumaru's eyes went to her. She was trying his patience despite her attempts not to.

"You don't know about the shikon no tama?" his brother's wench finally spoke. She blushed when she found herself under the pressure of his glare.

"I am afraid that I have only just come to Japan from a far away land. Please, this demon you speak of- Naraku- what hold does he have over you."

"I do not wish for you to get yourself involved with their problem."

"Sesshoumaru- sama, there are many humans in their group. You understand why I am concerned."

Of course he understood. Her compassion for humans greatly outweighed that of his foolish half-brother's. But the fact remained that he did not want to get her involved with their battle.

"If you truly do not wish for them to advance any further, I will go for them." Sesshoumaru nearly did a double take at her words. She had tensed, anticipating his reprisal.

"You will not go." he growled. That was the end of it.

"If you get this _shard_ or whatever, what will you do with it?" It was then that the monk began to spill about the rising evil, Naraku and his army of demons.

"This was the hanyou spoken of at the meeting. The one Lord Kouga was to take care of." His hanyou looked him in the eyes, annoyance apparent. "Sesshoumaru, if this is the same demon then it would seem that this is our battle as well."

No, _no_, and again, NO! She will not be placed in such a position. Naraku will not have his eyes on her!

"With all due respect, my Lady, we do not wish to place you in harm." _Damn right_, Sesshoumaru heard his inner youkai growl. Jaia's irritation spiked and she stood, towering over all of the tiny humans.

"I may be hanyou but am stronger than most full-blooded demons." In that moment, mysterious markings began to cross her face- markings that closely resembled those of the Taiyoukai.

"I did not mean to insult you, my Lady." the monk nervously bowed. Immediately, she calmed, a sigh escaping her lips.

"I know." she nodded. "Sesshoumaru," she began, "please allow them one day to acquire their shard on a condition."

Interested, Sesshoumaru's ears perked up at her proposition, "What is that?"

"Inuyasha leaves his sword, his houshi, his taijiya, his neko-youkai, and his fox-demon."

"WHAT!"

"If this demon is as strong as you say, you must learn to fight with or without the help of your sword. The miko is to only track the shard for you-- nothing else. I want to know if you are as serious about this task as you make yourself seem. Return with the shard, and you will earn your friends and weapon back. Return in defeat, I kill you and your friends at dusk. You will have one day." Sesshoumaru smirked inwardly. The hanyou knew how to torture one.

Although he was pleased with the bargain, he wanted to know why she would choose to leave him so defenseless. "I accept the terms."

"I don't! Inuyasha...you can't purify the shard." Kagome stepped in. _Ah, so that was her intention._

"I know he cannot. I want to see where his loyalties lie. I want to know whether or not he can resist the call of evil."

"Alright. Kagome, let's go."

"But Inuyasha..." Kagome began.

"I said let's GO!" Using his demon speed, he grabbed her and ran out of the room in a flash of fiery red haori. When Sesshoumaru could no longer sense them, the remaining hanyou stood and smiled.

"Please, you all must be hungry. I will have the kitchens prepare a dinner." she turned back to him with a serious face, "Sesshoumaru..." he nodded. She wanted to meet with him outside.

"I know you're probably wondering why I wanted to help them so bad." Jaia turned to face him bravely when they had finally made it outside the room. Impassively, he glared at her. Her interference annoyed him a little, and yes, he wondered why she would bee so keen on helping them. More so...why would she leave them so utterly unprotected.

"What have you planned?" Sesshoumaru mostly abhorred when things where being orchestrated below the table.

"Inuyasha is a half-breed...like me. I know what you feel about people like us." Almost immediately, he knew where this was leading.

"Hanyous are much more powerful than youkai would like to believe." her back straightened at this.

"Go on." he said stoically, a plan forming in his mind as well.

"Like you, we can easily protect ourselves without the use of weapons." she continued. "Our claws and teeth are just as reliable as yours."

"Continue..."

"Just because human blood runs through our veins, doesn't mean that we can't protect those close to us- even those as weak as humans."

"This is not about my brother." Se hesitated.

"Sesshoumaru..." she ran a hand through her hair, hoping that she would not have to answer him. "Why didn't you tell me that your brother was hanyou?" she asked.

"You never asked." She was avoiding the question. Very well, he would let the matter lie this time.

"I've only met one other- she wasn't very strong, but she had a good heart." she got a glazed look n her eyes as if recalling a fond memory.

"Hanyous are inherently weaker than youkai." he shrugged.

"No, we aren't," she snapped. He regarded her coolly, watching her blush under his gaze.

"Sesshoumaru, please don't be angry at me for trying to help." He was frustrated at first, but never angry. Since the forming of the bond, it took a lot for her to rightly agitate him. He continued to watch her for a little while, waiting for more to be said.

"I guess I should tell Shahira to get the food going." she whispered and then made her exit.

Oh my god! That was the hardest chapter to write _ever_. To be honest, this is my first story ver bringing Inuyasha and the gang into the picture, and I'm trying my best to keep everyone in character. Honestly, I wanted Jaia to go into the real 'princess' mode so that Sesshoumaru could see that there really was a serious side to her. I also wanted him to realize just how much the word 'hanyou' affected her. The next chapter will be poster a bit faster this time. Hopefully I haven't discouraged my few fans by taking so long.

Also, please, Please, PLEASE review! You have no idea how much it means to me to hear words of encouragement or constructive criticism. And of course, thanks to those who have reviewed. And if you have any questions or suggestions, don't fear hitting the little button down below! If you post a review with said question, I will try my best to answer it with the next posting!


	6. Youki

Disclaimer: Don't own nuthin'

A/N: Due to the request from several individuals, I have finally decided to continue this story. I want to thank everyone who thought it was worth continuing and say that I couldn't have asked for a better review. Well, here's the next installment.

Note: There **_IS_** sexual content in this chapter. Do not read if it offends.

Chapter Six: Youki 

"I am afraid that Lord Sesshoumaru would be unable to join us for dinner tonight." Jaia smiled as she took a seat near the head of the table. The guests respectfully bowed and nervously turned to the food placed before them.

"Please, eat." she nodded in their direction. After muttering their thanks, the humans began reaching for food.

The meal progressed in silence. They were probably very worried about their friends. Jaia smiled into her teacup. Judging by the strength of Sesshoumaru, she was sure that he was probably just fine by himself. She really didn't know why everyone went starkers when she made her proposition, but she was enjoying the grim looks on the company's faces.

Making Inuyasha go into battle so unprepared was really just a way to get Sesshoumaru to see that Hanyous weren't all that useless. He would probably prevail in the end, and she would like to see the look of shock on the stone-demon lord's face when they return with their shard. Jaia sighed and looked over at Rin who was excitedly chattering with the little fox-demon boy. She stared into his eyes, and felt her grip on the teacup tighten just a fraction.

They seemed so lifeless and boring.

"So…er, Lady Jaia, er… how long have you been married to Lord Sesshoumaru?" the taijiya began apprehensively.

"Oh, only a few weeks." Their eyebrows shot into their heads.

"We've heard talk about Sesshoumaru wanting to take on a mate, but we never knew…" the priest elbowed the girl in the side.

"What Sango is trying to say is that this is most unexpected."

"Oh? I've been promised to him for three years, now."

"Oh…If you don't mind me saying so, you look quite different from most around here." Jaia smiled and shook her head, her curls bouncing back and forth with the movement.

"I am the Princess Kemet and the daughter of Senmut from a land far from here."

"Oh, I see. How long have you been in Japan?"

"Only just a few weeks."

"Do you enjoy it here?"

Jaia smiled and shrugged her shoulders, "I miss the sand and the heat. My father warned me that it felt different here, and I never experienced the cold before. I was rather surprised when I first arrived."

"But it is early summer." And he was right, it was very hot sometimes. But it took her caravan months to get here.

"I began my travels in the winter." Realization dawned on their features.

"It must be nice to live somewhere sunny all the time."

"Oh, well… we have our share of foul weather-- particularly sand storms."

"Sand storms?"

"Lots of whipping sand carried by the wind, biting the skin right off you."

"Sounds painful."

"For humans. We demons heal too quickly to notice much more than tiny pinpricks."

"Interesting."

The rest of the evening continued in amicable conversation, Miroku and Sango, she learned their names were, told her many things about Japan and the notorious hanyou, Naraku. She also gathered much information about the relationship between Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru, and she stored everything in the back of her mind.

When dinner concluded, she allowed them to be escorted to their room, as Sesshoumaru would only provide them one, and made sure to tuck Rin in before turning to find her own bed.

When she entered the suite, she stepped out of her yukata and decided to wear something she was used to. Although the kimonos were beautiful, she sometimes felt a little uncomfortable with all of those clothes on. So, when she slipped on her favorite dress-- the one she wore her first day here, she dove onto her futon and stared up at the ceiling, thinking about everything that had transpired that day.

Jaia curled into a ball and turned onto her side, back facing the door. She succumbed to sleep soon after.

Jaia was soon jolted awake by a presence in her room. Smelling the wonderful, lemon grass smell of her husband, she turned and greeted him with squinting eyes. His eyes were bleeding red, and if she wasn't tired, she might have actually been alarmed.

"Bitch! Did you not hear me say that you were to sleep in my bedchambers tonight." Jaia rubbed her eyes and sat up.

"I'm sorry. It must have slipped my mind." She looked up at him apologetically, but he wouldn't budge.

"If I haven't angered you too much, I will rectify the situation now, Lord Sesshoumaru." He growled, and she could tell that he was trying to reign in his anger. His eyes were no longer red.

"Or perhaps my Lord would like to stay here?" he growled, and she shut up. He would make the next move.

"Get up." She pulled the blankets back from her form and stood. He sucked in a breath and his eyes began to change again. Blushing slightly, she wondered at how such a simple dress would arouse anyone.

He took a few menacing steps towards her and Jaia almost tripped on her futon. He quickly caught her , but pushed her down onto the futon anyway. Fear gripping her, all Jaia could do was watch as he climbed on top of her, pinning her arms at either side of her head.

"Lord Sesshoumaru, please… don't." she began to plead.

"Silence." he hissed. Jaia stared up at the ceiling as he nuzzled her neck, trying her best to remain calm. She winced in pain as his claws dug into her flesh, blood trickling down her wrists and onto the futon. She didn't move. Tried her best not to breathe.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome breathed in his ear. They had been traveling all day, and she was growing tired-- even though she was piggy-backing the whole way. He dumped her onto the ground and she unceremoniously dropped to her bottom with a 'harrumph'. Standing as quickly as her sore joints would allow, she narrowed her eyes at him and grumbled something about wanting to 'sit' him.

As they walked in silence, Inuyasha's mind kept wandering to the hanyou back at the castle. It was unthinkable that Sesshoumaru would ever consent to marrying a hanyou, let alone some random gaijin. He looked over to Kagome and wondered whether or not she knew that the new Lady was a half demon.

"What do you think about Sesshoumaru's new wife?" She asked, reading his mind.

"Feh," he started, "She's probably some stupid little bitch he picked up-- wouldn't be surprised, considering his fondness for that idiot ningen."

"Inuyasha! Rin is really sweet. And you shouldn't talk about the new Lady like that. She might be just as nice."

"I doubt it. I don't see how anyone but someone like him could stand to be married to him without wanting to kill herself." Kagome was silent for a while.

They walked on, Kagome watching the branches sway in the wind. The leaves were turning over. That could only mean that it would start raining soon. She breathed in the air and could almost taste the moisture.

"Why do you think she helped us?" Inuyasha shrugged.

"Don't know, don't care."

"That's a great attitude to have."

"She's Seshoumaru's wife. I don't give a damn about her one way or the other."

"She is your sister, now, you know." Inuyasha stopped suddenly. Kagome turned to face him.

Inuyasha was gripping the hilt of his katana tightly, his knuckles turning white. Had she said something wrong? She tried to get a good look at his face, but his head was hung low, his shoulders tense. She must have struck a nerve.

"I have no family." He said with as much conviction she'd ever heard from his voice. The way he said it left no room for questions.

"I'm sorry… I didn't mean to--"

"What do you know?" Inuyasha looked up. She could tell by the rage on his face that it was taking every ounce of his self control to not lash out at her.

"Inuyasha, I said I was--"

"Kicking me and my mother out! Leaving use for dead." He began to walk towards her. "And then what does he do?"

Kagome started to panic, she backed away from him as much as she could, but she couldn't move too far off the path or they might run into some really nasty demons. She fought to keep her eyes on his, but she didn't like what she was seeing.

"He adopts some human, and marries some hanyou bitch!" He snarled. Her back hit the solid trunk of a tree. She looked around, panicking. He slammed his hand down on the trunk, barely missing her face. Kagome inwardly cringed.

"So don't talk to me about family Kagome!" He punched right by her head with his other fist, and an anger like no other swelled up in her chest.

"Inuyasha…" she whispered.

"What, Kagome? What the fuck could you possibly have to say now since you're so damned smart?"

"SIT!" She screamed as loud as she could, hoping that his ears would start bleeding. He crashed to the ground with a loud _boom_ and after even ten minutes, he was still chewing on dirt.

"Bitch!" He must have called her that a thousand times by now. Kagome sighed and squatted down beside the sizeable crater.

"Inuyasha…" she started. "Don't be a jerk so I don't have to sit you anymore." She winced when his head was slightly pushed down once again.

"When I get out of here, I'm gonna…"

"Do absolutely nothing because you don't want me to 'sit' you again."

"Seshoumaru…" she breathed as he pinned her hands high above her head with one hand and slowly roamed her body with the other. She honestly didn't know what to do--what to say. He was in one of his demonic moments and she remembered very clearly, one day, what happened to her mother when she was being disobedient to her father. The horrors committed were too disgusting for a child to watch, and so she was escorted from the room.

Jaia didn't want to end up like that.

Of course, she wasn't going to let him have his way with her-- do as he pleased, so to speak. She only thought that allowing him to get close to her would calm his youki, and there was no point in trying to stop him-- it would only flare his anger, and things could get really violent really quickly.

Jaia swallowed and stared at the ceiling. She was trying to get her mind out of this, trying to look anywhere but at his face or think about the feelings he was evoking as he shoved his hand underneath her dress.

The Egyptian princess knew that this dress was something coveted by all the women who saw her in it, but she never expected that wearing something so simple would make anyone as uncontrollably horny as he was.

"Look at me," he commanded. Jaia swallowed back the bile and looked into his eyes. They were their normal golden hue, the black blood having been slightly satiated by being so near her. The only problem, now, was him.

Jaia didn't fail to notice how his gaze dropped from her eyes and slid down to the arch of her neck. The delicate way he licked his lips and then ran his tongue over his exquisite canines didn't slip past her, either. He was dangerously close to breaking their promise, and Jaia feared that she was starting to care less because the moment she looked into his eyes was the moment she began to feel exactly what he was doing to her.

She looked down to find his hand, no longer at her thigh, but perilously close to her sex. She blushed and her eyes shot back up to his, sucking in a deep breath as thumb began to rub an extremely sensitive spot. She suddenly closed her eyes and bit her lip.

"Our…agreement, Sesshoumaru." She forced out, sounding much breathier than she had meant. He chuckled into her neck, stirring the butterflies in her stomach.

"What about it?"

"Y-you promised. W-we said no intercourse."

"I'm not asking for intercourse." He grinned into her shoulder.

"What do you think this is, then?" She snapped, but her voice was much too soft to give the effect she wanted. He stropped his ministrations and Jaia mentally kicked herself. That is, until he took one of her hands and made her feel him through his Kimono.

"Are you interested in knowing how you _really _have intercourse, Jaia-sama?" Shakily, Jaia let out a breath and shook her head slowly.

"Do you want me to tell you, exactly, what it is that I am doing?" Jaia looked into his eyes as he smirked that demonic smirk of his-- the one that should really chill her to the bones but gave her a different feeling entirely. He replaced her hand above her head and went between her legs again.

"I'm finger-fucking you." Jaia's eyes went wide at the thought of-- not Seshoumaru engaging in any sort of sexual activity with her or talking dirty-- but that he'd actually used a dirty word. Her cheeks darkened somewhat and she swallowed again.

"And this…" he growled. Before she knew it, she was on her stomach, hands pinned behind her back. His hand snaked up her dress again, delighted when she moaned into the futon, "Is finger-fucking you from behind."

Sesshoumaru allowed himself to laugh a little. She was butter in his hands. He knew that it wouldn't be hard for him to get _her_ to break their promise along with him, but this was almost too easy. He almost expected some more…resistance… on her part.

Perhaps she was like just any other bitch who'd thrown herself at him?

He almost shook his head at the thought. No, she wasn't. Just really, very-- "…Sesshoumaru…"-- horny. It was probably the bond's doing. Struggling with his inner conscience (he had one?) he continued to pleasure the Lady, smiling as her silky juices ran over his fingers. He didn't really take notice that he was still fingering her until he heard her panting-- no, moaning-- into a pillow.

His cock throbbed underneath his kimono, as he watched her squirm beneath him, trying to add more pressure to her clit and trying to get away from him and the sensations all at the same time. A little conflicted, was she? He smirked to himself and leaned into her ear to whisper things to her in her natural Egyptian language. It was enough to push her into that orgasm she'd been so desperately squirming for, and her body began to tremble slightly as he released her and turned her onto her back. Shivering, she stared up at the ceiling in a daze, probably trying to make sense of what just happened to her.

Seshoumaru frowned at this new development. She was probably a virgin, and by the surprised and almost fearful look in her eye, had probably just had her first orgasm. He sat back on his knees and just stared at his hanyou. Was she really so sheltered that she hadn't even learned to pleasure herself?

"Was that…" he started, the words dying on his lips. He could see her swallow. She slowly looked into his eyes, her brown ones jarring him a bit. "Was that your first orgasm?" He finally asked. Lady Jaia sat up, using a throw to cover herself with. She licked her lips and looked down at the pillow.

He was growing furious. Had he not just asked her a question?! She stood and put on her slippers, donning a light yukata before walking out to the balcony. It was very strange behavior, to walk away like that. But whether or not she was frightened by the whole ordeal, he had asked her a question and she had completely ignored him. Sesshoumaru growled and stormed out to the balcony.

Jaia swallowed and looked down at her hands, too ashamed and afraid to look at the moon. She had evoked feelings like that before on her own-- but never had it felt quite like it did this time. For starters, there was a man there, and she was angry and afraid that they had broken their agreement. Now Sesshoumaru could do what he willed, whenever he willed it. She felt a tear slip from her eye as she turned to the quartermoon staring at her.

"I do not recall telling you that you were dismissed." Jaia closed her eyes and sighed when she heard Sesshoumaru's breath on her neck. She turned around and lifted her gaze to his. Something faltered, beneath his stony mask, but the moment where his iron-clad spirit was exposed had passed and gone before she could even register it.

"I am sorry," she whispered, looking down at her chest. "I have broken our agreement." He did not reply right away.

Jaia looked anywhere but his face, hoping that he would not ask the impossible of her, now that she was another conquest. She felt dirty and pathetic and just plain unfit for the title of Ladyship.

"How so?" She looked up, surprised.

"Y-you…we…" She stumbled.

"I already told you, what we did could not consummate our marriage so why do you fear?"

"I fear…" she whispered. "I…fear…" She could feel his patience wearing thin. "I fear that I might get…pregnant." Sesshoumaru stared at her for a moment, as if trying to find out if she was joking or not. And then, the most suprising event of the evening occurred-- _he laughed_. He broke into peals of laughter that shushed the nocturnal world outside. She eyed him warily, wondering why he was laughing at her like that. She was serious. This could become a major problem for them.

When the laughter subsided, he looked down at her, "You cannot become pregnant by such means." Confused, Jaia waited for him to continue.

"Remember what I told you?" He asked. Jaia searched her memory for any scrap of information that might have been relevant. Suddenly, she looked down at his crotch and blushed. The scents that her body was suddenly emitting caused his inner youki to stir. He was surprised that he held back for so long.

"Come to bed lest you fall ill." He nodded. Jaia's brows rose. He was being so business like again. How could he right after what had just happened between them? Jaia nodded her head and then quickly made her way back inside. She was about to lie down on the futon when he walked past the bed and stopped short, waiting for her to follow him.

Was he taking her to his bedroom?

Okay… this chapter was a little short so it could help me get back into the swing of things on this one. I wanted to show that the bond was still between them and that although the two had lust for each other, there were still a bunch of things that separated the couple. Anyways, hope you enjoyed. Any critiques, hit the little button on the bottom of the screen and review. Again, I want to give thanks to all of the wonderful people who reviewed!


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